Development of therapeutic devices to restore normal biomechanics of hearing

开发恢复正常听力生物力学的治疗装置

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-05522
• 负责人: Maftoon, Nima
• 金额: $ 2.33万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=765914
• 关键词: Development; therapeutic; devices; restore; normal

Over 466 million people (6.1% of the world population) have disabling hearing loss, and it is estimated that by 2050 this number will grow to 900 million (9.6% of the world population). One-third of people over 65 have disabling hearing loss; over one million Canadians have hearing-related disability, and 8% of Canadian children (6 to 19 years) have at least slight hearing loss. Many hearing pathologies including all types of conductive hearing loss adversely affect the normal biomechanics of hearing and therefore understanding the biomechanics of hearing is the key for developing effective devices for diagnosis and therapy.       In the next five years, the objective of this program is to obtain better fundamental understandings of hearing mechanics, to enable developments of new and effective therapeutic devices for otitis media (the accumulation of liquid or acute inflammation in the middle ear). Otitis media is the second most prevalent cause of hearing loss and affects 1.23 billion people worldwide. It especially affects Canada as its prevalence rate among Inuit, First Nations and Métis children in some Northern Canada communities is as high as 40 times that of US and Canadian cities. The current treatment procedure for otitis media is tympanostomy: the surgical placement of a ventilation tube in the tympanic membrane (TM). Tympanostomy is the most common surgery performed on children in Canada, but it has drawbacks such as need for general anesthesia, economic burden and long-term damage to the TM.       To enable the development of novel microneedle-patch devices, that avoid major drawbacks of tympanostomy, the proposed research will generate new fundamental understandings about the behaviour of the TM in rupture and impact. This program will also deal with scientific challenges for inventing new microfabrication methods for these devices and their interactions with the TM.       There are currently no quantitative models for the puncture of the TM, large nonlinear deformations of the middle-ear structures during this puncture or contact/impact mechanics of the TM. In this program, these models will be created using the finite-element method and they will be used to make discoveries about interactions of microneedles with the TM. We will validate these models using the data that we will measure in cadaveric human ears employing innovative techniques such as optical coherence tomography. We will perform modelling and experimental studies to investigate the effects of wearing such devices on hearing in terms of the changes in the middle-ear vibrations.       This technology will make it possible to treat otitis media during a medical office visit, offering timely, accessible treatment for all Canadian children, including those in Northern communities. The proposed research on innovative therapeutic devices will bring new opportunities for the Canadian medical-device industry and economy.

超过 4.66 亿人（占世界人口的 6.1%）患有听力障碍，预计到 2050 年这一数字将增至 9 亿（占世界人口的 9.6%）。65 岁以上的人中有三分之一患有听力障碍。损失；超过 100 万加拿大人患有听力相关残疾，8% 的加拿大儿童（6 至 19 岁）至少有轻微听力损失，包括所有类型的传导性听力损失。对听力的正常生物力学产生不利影响，因此了解听力的生物力学是开发有效的诊断和治疗设备的关键​在未来五年中，该计划的目标是获得对听力力学的更好的基本了解，以便能够实现。中耳炎（中耳液体积聚或急性炎症）的新型有效治疗设备的开发是导致听力损失的第二大原因，影响着全世界 12.3 亿人。加拿大北部一些社区的因纽特人、原住民和梅蒂斯儿童中的患病率高达美国和加拿大城市的 40 倍。目前中耳炎的治疗方法是鼓膜造口术：通过手术在鼓膜中放置通气管。 (TM) 鼓膜造口术是加拿大最常见的儿童手术，但其存在需要全身麻醉、经济负担以及对鼓膜造成长期损伤等缺点。为了开发新型微针贴片装置，避免鼓膜造口术的主要缺点，拟议的研究将对 TM 的破裂和冲击行为产生新的基本理解。该计划还将应对发明新的微加工方法的科学挑战。对于这些设备及其与 TM 的相互作用，目前还没有针对 TM 穿刺、穿刺过程中中耳结构的大非线性变形的定量模型。 TM 的接触/冲击力学。在这个程序中，这些模型将使用有限元方法创建，它们将用于发现微针与 TM 的相互作用。我们将使用我们将要使用的数据来验证这些模型。我们将采用光学相干断层扫描等创新技术对尸体人耳进行测量，我们将进行建模和实验研究，以研究佩戴此类设备对中耳振动变化的影响。这项技术将使在就诊期间治疗中耳炎成为可能，为所有加拿大儿童（包括北部社区的儿童）提供及时、方便的治疗。拟议的创新治疗设备研究将为加拿大医疗设备行业带来新的机遇。经济。