A new partnership between Ear Science Institute Australia (ESIA) and the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) will bring hearing researchers from across Australia together to improve treatments for people with hearing issues.
The partnership, announced on 2 May 2024, represents a collaboration of nearly 100 years of combined expertise in research, innovation and hearing healthcare.
By integrating their extensive resources and data sets, the two organisations aim to work together to change the lives of people with hearing loss in Australia and globally.
Both provide evidence-based insights and solutions for adoption by hearing healthcare professionals, policymakers, manufacturers, and people with hearing difficulties.
“This powerful partnership with the Ear Science Institute Australia brings together many of the brightest and most ambitious hearing researchers in Australia, all with the shared vision of having a significant impact on hearing healthcare to improve the lives of people with hearing difficulty everywhere,” said Dr Brent Edwards PhD, NAL director.
NAL is a world-renowned hearing research organisation that has been involved in evidence-based innovation to improve hearing health for more than 75 years. Funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, it is based at the Australian Hearing Hub, Macquarie University, Sydney, and was the team behind the first hearing aid in Australia.
The organisation remains at the forefront of advancing novel solutions to hearing health services and technology, conducting validation trials on treatment benefit, and providing insight into the needs of people with hearing loss.
Ear Science Institute is a globally recognised for-purpose organisation in Perth and centre of excellence that aligns hearing science, medicine, and clinical teams to develop innovative treatments for ear and hearing disorders, with the goal of eventually finding a cure for hearing loss.
It is a national medical research institute and also Australia’s first World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Ear and Hearing Care.
The institute focuses on improving the quality of hearing health by prioritising the translation of its work from scientific research to the patient.
Hidden hearing loss
“As we look towards the next era in hearing treatment, this meaningful partnership with National Acoustic Laboratories will bring new opportunities for knowledge sharing, leading to improved access, advanced solutions and better individual hearing care for people everywhere,” said Associate Professor Sandra Bellekom, Ear Science Institute CEO.
Dr David Sly, the institute’s Chief Operating Officer (Research), said the collaboration would set new benchmarks and enhance treatment for millions with hearing disorders.
“One of the first endeavours as a team is to diagnose and treat [people with hidden hearing loss, a frustrating condition where a person has trouble hearing but their tests show normal results,” he said in a video. “Sounds can be heard but conversations not understood.”
Mr Padraig Kitterick, NAL’s Head of Audiological Sciences, said hearing loss was one of the most common disabilities worldwide and by 2050, it was expected that almost 2.5 billion people would have some degree of hearing impairment.
