Efficacy studies

CILcare provides a broad range of in vivo validated pharmacological models to assess hearing loss, tinnitus, and ear inflammation. With our state-of-the-art facilities and the most advanced instrumentation and technology, we offer you customized studies to best address your requirements. We operate with 3 different preclinical platforms:

 

Hearing loss platform

    • Age-related hearing loss
    • Noise-induced hearing loss (permanent and temporary)
    • Drug-induced ototoxicity (cisplatin and gentamicin)

Tinnitus platform

    • Salicylate-induced tinnitus
    • Noise-induced tinnitus

Otitis platform

    • Otitis Media with effusion
    • Acute Otits Media
Technological platform:

ABR, DPOAE, GPIAS (Behavioral measures), SEM, MEMRI, Ribbon Synapses, Cochleogram, Histology, Wave I analysis, Tympanometry, Otoscopy, Implant Monitoring, Gene & Protein arrays (Biochemical biomarkers), Gross Assessment of the Middle Ear, Clinical Signs, Unicellular In Vivo Electrophysiology, CNS Ex Vivo Electrophysiology (MEA and Patch Clamp), Cochlear explant.

Additional readouts performed with our partners:

Standard Auditory Brainstem Responses in CILcare’s animal models:

Based on a large range of historical data and an unmatched expertise in conducting auditory thresholds detection, CILcare guarantees highly accurate & reproducible ABR measurements on the different species used in its preclinical assays.

Hearing loss platform

Sensorineural hearing loss, which accounts for 90% of reported hearing loss, concerns pathologies of hair cells and neurons.

CILcare has set up validated and robust models to study the effects of drug candidates on the 3 forms of acquired sensorineural hearing loss: 

  • Age-related hearing loss
  • Noise-induced hearing loss
  • Drug-induced hearing loss

The triad of age-related, noise-induced, and drug-induced hearing loss displays intriguing similarities in some cellular responses of cochlear sensory cells, such as a potential involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptotic and necrotic cell death.

Age-related hearing loss

Age-related hearing loss refers to sensorineural hearing impairment in elderly individuals. The effects of a compound on auditory functions in our Age-Related Hearing Loss model is assessed on SAMP8 mice, which provide an excellent model for ageing research. Indeed, this strain displays a remarkable premature hearing loss and cochlear degeneration, which is similar to the processes observed in humans.  It is a model that is also used in drug development targeting cognitive impairment.

Noise-induced hearing loss

Noise trauma can result in 2 types of injuries to the inner ear depending on the intensity and duration of the exposure:  a temporary threshold shift (TTS) that returns  to normal, or a permanent threshold shift (PTS) leading to irreversible hearing loss. CILcare’s models are relevant for testing drug candidates involved in oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, cell growth, synaptopathy, neurotrophy and regeneration on auditory dysfunction or hair cell damage.

Drug-induced hearing loss

Ototoxicity may be defined as the propensity of certain therapeutic agents and other chemical substances to cause functional impairment and cellular degeneration of the tissues of the inner ear. More than 200 compounds are listed as ototoxic, including cisplatin, which is still vastly used in chemotherapy in pediatric populations, and aminoglycosides, used in treatment of some infectious diseases.

Tinnitus platform

Tinnitus is the perception of a phantom sound without a corresponding external sound source which, in most cases, occurs with hearing loss. The physiopathology of tinnitus is caused by abnormalities in the inner ear and dysfunctions of the central nervous system.

CILcare proposes two tinnitus models: salicylate-induced tinnitus and noise-induced tinnitus, which allow to test reversible and chronic tinnitus.

 

CILcare & Neuroservices-Alliance, the leader in CNS electrophysiology and Behavior, combine their know-how in hearing & CNS disorders to offer you cutting-edge readouts to assess tinnitus. For instance, neuroprotective action of drug candidates in tinnitus can be studied in single neurons (patch clamp), as well as on the scale of neuronal network (Multi-Electrode Array). Together, we thrive to accelerate research on tinnitus and bring treatments to over 600 million people worldwide.

Otitis platform

Otitis is a common inflammatory disease of the ear. It can separately affect the outer, middle, and inner ear. Otitis media is the most common bacterial infection, affecting up to 80% of children.

CILcare proposes two models of the most common forms of otitis: Otitis Media with effusion and Acute Otitis Media. The studies are customizable in terms of drug candidate administration and choices of read-outs.