2020 awards
Prizes
A total prize pool in excess of $30,000 was awarded at the 2020 Curtinnovation Awards on 20 November 2020.
Overall Curtinnovation 2020 winner
Gel formula for treating hearing loss
A new formula of an existing pharmaceutical is being developed to counter hearing loss, for which there is no suitable medication. Hearing loss is a large and growing problem. The effects are linked to drastically reduced quality of life and even mental health and neurodegenerative disorders. The current approaches to managing hearing loss are hearing aids, cochlear implants or surgery, however, due to cost and suitability, they do not meet the needs of all patients.
The Curtin team, working with a leading surgeon, have now developed a formulation to deliver a known drug directly into the inner ear, by combining it with permeation enhancers in a gel. This could help many people who have suffered hearing loss as a result of ageing, exposure to noise or as a side effect of common treatments for infection and cancer.
Team: Dr Armin Mooranian, Dr Hani Al-Salami, Dr Daniel Brown (School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences) and Dr Jafri Kuthubutheen.