A new study led by researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear found that vestibular thresholds begin to double every 10 years above the age of 40, representing a decline in our ability to receive sensory information about motion, balance and spatial orientation. The report was published online ahead of print in Frontiers in Neurology.
Massachusetts Eye and Ear has appointed Daniel B. Polley, Ph.D., leading neuroscientist and hearing researcher, as the first Director of the Lauer Tinnitus Research Center. In this role, Dr. Polley will direct the Center’s efforts to advance research to better understand and treat tinnitus (or “ringing in the ears”), a condition affecting more than 50 million Americans and for which there are currently no widely effective treatments.
Ophthalmologists at Massachusetts Eye and Ear are currently accepting patients who may be candidates for a newly FDA-approved outpatient procedure known as “corneal cross-linking.” Corneal cross-linking is a stabilizing treatment to halt the progression of keratoconus, a degenerative eye condition in which the cornea becomes thin and irregularly shaped. Keratoconus can affect adults and children as young as preteenagers, and may result in progressive vision loss if left untreated. While eyeglasses and contacts can serve as visual aids for these patients, —with advanced cases sometimes requiring corneal transplant surgery — corneal cross-linking is currently the only treatment available that can stop the progression of keratoconus.
In cases of severe ocular trauma involving the cornea, wound healing occurs following intervention, but at the cost of opaque scar tissue formation and damaged vision. Recent research has shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) — which can differentiate into a variety of cells, including bone, cartilage, muscle, and fat cells — are capable of returning clarity to scarred corneas; however, the mechanisms by which this happens remained a mystery – until now. In a study published online today in Stem Cell Reports, researchers from Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear have identified hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), secreted by MSCs, as the key factor responsible for promoting wound healing and reducing inflammation in preclinical models of corneal injury. Their findings suggest that HGF-based treatments may be effective in restoring vision in patients with severely scarred corneas.
Massachusetts Eye and Ear opened a new otolaryngology (ear, nose, throat) practice at 65 Walnut Street in Wellesley, Mass., on September 19. Mass. Eye and Ear, Wellesley is the hospital’s 18th suburban site designed to bring the expertise of Mass. Eye and Ear specialists to the surrounding greater Boston area.
Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear have discovered a new mutation in a highly antibiotic-resistant strain of E. coli that resists clearance by the body’s own immune system by inhibiting white blood cells that ordinarily kill and remove bacteria. In a paper published online today in JAMA Ophthalmology, the researchers describe the case that led them to discover the mutation, and offer suggestions for how to recognize and address this particular microbe if encountered in the future.
Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear have, for the first time, identified rapidly proliferating cells (known as “neural crest-derived progenitor cells”) in the corneal endothelium of specimens from normal corneas and from corneas with Fuchs’ Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD), a condition in which the cells responsible for keeping the cornea clear die prematurely — often leading to blindness. The findings, published in the American Journal of Pathology, hold promise for new therapies to be developed using the proliferating cells to return normal clearing abilities to the cornea in patients with FECD.
Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear have, for the first time, linked symptoms of difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments with evidence of cochlear synaptopathy, a condition known as “hidden hearing loss,” in college-age human subjects with normal hearing sensitivity.
Lonza Houston, Inc., a global leader in viral gene and cell therapy manufacturing, and Massachusetts Eye and Ear, the world’s largest vision and hearing research center, have entered into a strategic agreement that provides customers the ability to in-license Anc80 and other Anc-AAVs for the clinical development and commercialization of novel gene therapies. The agreement is designed to accelerate gene therapy drug development across the field in order to address diseases in need of treatments and thereby ultimately reach more patients.
Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have found that patients who were prescribed corticosteroids as part of treatment for Lyme disease-associated facial paralysis had worse long-term outcomes of regaining facial function than those who were prescribed antibiotic therapy alone. Based on these findings, which were published online today in Laryngoscope, the researchers urge caution in prescribing corticosteroids to patients with acute Lyme disease-associated facial paralysis.
A contact lens designed to deliver medication gradually to the eye could improve outcomes for patients with conditions requiring treatment with eye drops, which are often imprecise and difficult to self-administer. In a study published online today in Ophthalmology, a team of researchers have shown that a novel contact lens-based system, which uses a strategically placed drug polymer film to deliver medication gradually to the eye, is at least as effective, and possibly more so, as daily latanoprost eye drops in a pre-clinical model for glaucoma.
Researchers from the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear have identified new underlying mechanisms of proptosis, or bulging of the eyes, in patients with acute thyroid eye disease. In a report published online in the journal Ophthalmology, the researchers describe vascular growth factors causing an abnormal proliferation of blood vessels, as well as the rare formation of lymphatic vessels, that may contribute to the dangerous swelling and inflammation that occurs in the orbits of these patients. The findings point to new potential targets for non-surgical therapies to decompress the eye in the acute phase of thyroid eye disease.
For the second consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Mass. Eye and Ear as the #1 hospital in the nation for ear, nose and throat care and #1 in New England for eye care.
Sunil Puria, Ph.D., recently joined Massachusetts Eye and Ear as the second Amelia Peabody Scientist in the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories. Dr. Puria, an electrical engineer who trained as a postdoctoral researcher at Mass. Eye and Ear from 1991 to 1997, brings more than 20 years of experience in mathematical modeling and hearing research in both academia and industry settings back to Mass. Eye and Ear, where he will direct the OtoBiomechanics Group.
Louis R. Pasquale, M.D., Director of the Glaucoma Service at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and a Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, is one of three vision researchers to be appointed to the National Advisory Eye Council (NAEC) of the National Eye Institute (NEI) this year. The NAEC provides guidance on research, training and other NEI programs.
Researchers from the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School have designed three new eyeglasses using high-power prisms to optimally expand the visual fields of patients with hemianopia, a condition in which the visual fields of both eyes are cut by half. The new designs, described in Optometry and Vision Science, address some limitations of existing prism correction available to this population.
An FDA-approved clinical trial is underway at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Massachusetts General Hospital for Children to evaluate the use of a hypoglossal nerve stimulator — a technology currently available to adults with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) that stimulates the upper airway to facilitate breathing during sleep — in a select group of adolescent patients with Down syndrome and OSA. A case report on the first patient in the trial – whose implantation on April 8th, 2015, represented the first time the technology has been used in a pediatric patient in the United States – has been published in the May issue of Pediatrics. The clinical trial will now be expanded to include four additional sites in the U.S.
Researchers from the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have developed a smartphone application that projects a magnified smartphone screen to Google Glass, which users can navigate using head movements to view a corresponding portion of the magnified screen. They have shown that the technology can potentially benefit low-vision users, many of whom find the smartphone’s built-in zoom feature to be difficult to use due to the loss of context.
A complication associated with bone marrow transplantation, graft-versus-host-disease occurs when a transplanted immune system attacks certain parts of a host’s body, and may cause severe dry eye and damage to the cornea. A clinical trial at Massachusetts Eye and Ear showed that topical doses of ultra low-dose tacrolimus, an immunosuppressive medication, is equally effective and showed fewer hypertensive side effects in treating ocular symptoms associated with graft-versus-host-disease than methylprednisolone, a steroid medication that may cause a rise in eye pressure and other ocular complications.
Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have identified inflammatory factors that contribute to optic nerve damage following keratoprosthesis (KPro) implantation in a mouse model. They have also shown that blocking one of the factors, TNFa, leads to a significant decrease in optic nerve cell death, suggesting a new direction for preventing optic nerve damage in patients with keratoprosthesis implants.
Joseph F. Rizzo III, M.D., has been awarded grant funding as part of the Vision Prosthesis Pilot Study, a Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program of the United States Department of Defense. Director of Neuro-Ophthalmology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and the David Glendenning Cogan Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Rizzo is one of three investigators to receive funding as part of the Vision Prosthesis Pilot Study Awards. His research team will use the support to develop and test a visual prosthesis to restore vision to those with severe visual impairment.
Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Schepens Eye Research Institute have shown an association between a defective myogenic response — the regulatory increase or decrease in blood pressure to keep blood flow within the vessels of the retina constant — and early, accelerated development of retinopathy in patients with type 1 diabetes. These findings, published online today in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, identify one mechanism to explain why some patients develop diabetic retinopathy sooner than others. Furthermore, the findings provide a target for future study, which may lead to therapies to delay or prevent the development of accelerated onset diabetic retinopathy.
Massachusetts Eye and Ear has awarded five research grants through the Curing Kids Fund to support projects aimed at advancing treatments for pediatric diseases related to the institution’s areas of expertise.
Researchers at Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear have shown a link between mitochondrial dysfunction in corneal endothelial cells and the development of Fuchs’ Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy. This study, published today in the journal, Antioxidants & Redox Signaling, is the first study to demonstrate that lifelong accumulation of oxidative DNA damage leads to mitochondrial dysfunction and subsequent cell death in the tissue of the corneal endothelium. These changes are the result of free radical-induced molecular changes that are characteristic of FECD.
Through a partnership with John Hancock Financial Services, Massachusetts Eye and Ear is preparing a team of runners for the 2016 Boston Marathon.® “Team Eye and Ear” comprises 57 members fundraising in support of Mass. Eye and Ear’s research programs to fight disorders of the eyes, ears, nose, throat, head and neck.
Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School and the University of Crete have conducted a phase I/II clinical trial investigating the efficacy of statins (cholesterol-lowering medications) for the treatment of patients with the dry form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) — the leading cause of blindness in the developed world.
Mass. Eye and Ear researchers describe the role of endomucin, a molecule that – under healthy circumstances – resists the adhesion of white blood cells as they move through the circulatory system. These findings suggest that promoting the expression of endomucin may prevent the collection of white blood cells that causes tissues to become inflamed.
Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have described, for the first time, the adult brain’s ability to compensate for a near-complete loss of auditory nerve fibers that link the ear to the brain. The findings, published in the current issue of Neuron, suggest that the brain’s natural plasticity can compensate for inner ear damage to bring sound detection abilities back within normal limits; however, it does not recover speech intelligibility. This imperfect hearing recovery may explain a common auditory complaint, in which some patients report difficulties understanding speech despite having normal hearing thresholds.
A new study at Massachusetts Eye and Ear showed that in some cases of vestibular schwannoma, a sometimes-lethal tumor often associated with neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2), secretions from the tumor contain toxic molecules that damage the inner ear. The findings, published online in Scientific Reports, explain why some vestibular schwannomas cause hearing loss even though they are not large enough to compress nearby structures that control hearing.
The Vestibular Disorders Association (VEDA) has recognized Steven D. Rauch, M.D., Director of the Vestibular Division at Mass. Eye and Ear and Professor of Otolaryngology at Harvard Medical School, with the 2015 Champion of Vestibular Medicine Award. Dr. Rauch is an otologist and researcher specializing in disorders of the ear and vestibular system, a complex network that relies on sensory inputs to maintain the body’s position and balance.
Massachusetts Eye and Ear researchers surveyed 337 patients with hearing loss to better understand the language they use with communication partners to disclose their disability. Their findings, published online in the journal Ear and Hearing on October 28, 2015, may be used to develop resources for health care professionals to provide their patients with strategies to disclose hearing loss successfully and effectively in interactions with others.
Massachusetts Eye and Ear investigators have shown that sound deprivation in adult mice causes irreversible damage to the inner ear. The findings, published in PLOS ONE, suggest that chronic conductive hearing loss, such as that caused by recurrent ear infections, leads to permanent hearing impairment if it remains untreated.
Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School and Boston University have successfully shown neuroprotection in a Parkinson’s mouse model using new techniques to deliver drugs across the naturally impenetrable blood-brain barrier. Their findings, published in Neurosurgery, lend hope to patients around the world with neurological conditions that are difficult to treat due to a barrier mechanism that prevents approximately 98 percent of drugs from reaching the brain and central nervous system.
Joan Whitten Miller, M.D., Henry Willard Williams Professor of Ophthalmology and Chair of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, and Chief of Ophthalmology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Massachusetts General Hospital, has been elected to membership in the prestigious National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Dr. Miller is an internationally recognized expert on retinal disorders, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinal degenerations, and diabetic retinopathy.
Vision researchers in Boston have published the second paper of a study designed to determine if a driver who suffers from loss of central vision is able to detect pedestrians in a timely manner when driving. Central visual field loss, a scotoma or blind area in central vision, is found most commonly in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Patients with AMD may drive provided their visual acuity at least meets the requirements for a restricted license. However, the size and location of the blind area are usually not considered when making licensing decisions. The purpose of the study was to evaluate how much these blind areas delayed responses to pedestrian hazards in the safe environment of a driving simulator.
Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Schepens Eye Research Institute have reconstructed an ancient virus that is highly effective at delivering gene therapies to the liver, muscle, and retina. This discovery, published July 30 in Cell Reports, could potentially be used to design gene therapies that are not only safer and more potent than therapies currently available, but may also help a greater number of patients.
Vision researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School (HMS) Department of Ophthalmology have taken a first step in solving a vexing problem: how to preserve photoreceptor cells and avoid irreversible vision loss in patients following retinal detachment.
U.S. News & World Report ranked the Mass. Eye and Ear/Mass General Department of Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose, Throat, Head & Neck) at the very top of its national 2015-16 “Best Hospitals” rankings. This number one ranking is based on many factors, including: quality of care, patient safety and reputation among board-certified otolaryngologists. Although it consistently ranks as a top department, this is the first time since 1996 that the Mass. Eye and Ear Department of Otolaryngology achieved number one status. Last year’s survey ranked the department at #4 in the nation.
Two prominent HMS/Mass. Eye and Ear/Schepens faculty members will receive prestigious 2015 achievement awards today at ARVO Annual Meeting. On May 5, the winners of the 2014 António Champalimaud Vision Award will be recognized.
Researchers from the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories of Massachusetts Eye and Ear and the Harvard Medical School/ Massachusetts Institute of Technology Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology have revealed new understanding of the pathobiology behind a head and neck tumor that may someday lead to new methods of targeted drug therapy.
Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear and the Harvard Medical School/ Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology have demonstrated that salicylates, a class of non-steroidal inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), reduced the proliferation and viability of cultured vestibular schwannoma cells that cause a sometimes lethal intracranial tumor that typically causes hearing loss and tinnitus.
Scientists from Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School and Fudan University have shown that blocking the Notch pathway plays an essential role that determines cochlear progenitor cell proliferation capacity.
Investigators at Massachusetts Eye and Ear reported the development and characterization of a comprehensive genetic test for inherited eye disorders in the online version of the Nature journal Genetics In Medicine today.
Boston researchers detail the types of otologic injury suffered by victims of the Boston Marathon bombing and report on the outcomes of patients undergoing otologic treatment in this paper in Otology & Neurology.
Patients choosing cataract surgery at Massachusetts Eye and Ear may now elect to have laser-assisted cataract surgery with the femtosecond LensSx® Laser. The hospital is one of the few in New England to offer the advanced technology, which enables surgeons to more precisely perform cataract surgery aided by a computer-controlled laser.
Six Harvard Medical School (HMS) researchers were among the recipients of the 2014 António Champalimaud Vision Award, the highest distinction in ophthalmology and visual science.
Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) has awarded several grants to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School (HMS) Department of Ophthalmology, including three Mass. Eye and Ear/HMS researchers to support studies into the causes, treatment and prevention of blinding diseases.
Although celebrating July 4 with a loud bang may sound like the patriotic thing to do this upcoming Independence Day weekend, Mass. Eye and Ear physicians encourage you not to give in to the temptation to put on your own show. Fireworks can cause serious injuries, including burns, lacerations, eye injuries, vision loss, dismemberment and even death.
HMS’ Department of Otolaryngology recently announced the establishment of the Neskey-Coghlan Fellowship in Balance and Vestibular Disorders, a 1-year post-residency fellowship program based at Massachusetts Eye and Ear.
Two prominent faculty members of the Harvard Medical School Department of Ophthalmology and Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Schepens Eye Research Institute were selected to receive prestigious 2015 achievement awards from The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). These honors were announced during the ARVO 2014 Annual Meeting held May 4 through 8 in Orlando, Florida.
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