Bettina Cockroft, Chief Medical Officer of Cilcare, speaks about a rapidly evolving area of hearing science: cochlear synaptopathy or so-called “hidden hearing loss.” The episode explores how damage to the connections between inner-ear hair cells and the auditory nerve can affect the ability to process sound even with a “normal” audiogram, and how this may be connected to tinnitus and hyperacusis.

Bettina then takes us inside Cilcare’s work on Paliroden (formerly CIL-001), a drug designed to target cochlear synaptopathy. We discuss how the drug is delivered to the inner ear, what Cilcare has learned from previous hearing drug failures, and how its observational studies and biomarker research are informing upcoming clinical trials. Crucially for tinnitus patients, Cilcare is preparing a study involving people with tinnitus to kick off in 2026

(00:00) Introductions

(06:22) The Discovery of Cochlear Synaptopathy

(16:33) About Cilcare

(23:58) How CIL-001 Works

(33:37) Clinical Trial Patient Selection

(37:58) Who Might CIL-001 Help?

(42:53) The Relationship between Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, and Hyperacusis

(47:13) Timelines

(51:50) Concluding Remarks

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Are tinnitus and chronic pain alike? Very much so, believes pain researcher Prof. Peter McNaughton from King’s College London. He discovered a drug that works through ion channels on both chronic pain and tinnitus.

Peter also talks about his rather controversial belief that tinnitus is a peripheral rather than central phenomenon, meaning that it originates in the ear and/or other outer areas of the nervous system, rather than in the brain. If he is right, this would open up new avenues for treatment.

(00:00) Is Tinnitus Like Pain?

(08:48) Mechanisms of Chronic Pain & Tinnitus

(16:52) Ion Channels

(25:14) Could HCN2 Inhibitor Drugs Work on Tinnitus?

(28:44) Relation to Similar Research Projects

(35:05) Drug Discovery Process

(44:51) Getting Pharma Companies to Invest

(53:59) How Quickly Can Peter’s Drug Come to Market?

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This might be our most exciting podcast episode ever! We are very proud to announce the new foundation that we co-founded: Tinnitus Quest.

In this episode, Hazel speaks with co-founder Sven Köllmann, a German entrepreneur, and Dirk de Ridder, one of the most renowned tinnitus researchers – both will take board seats in the newly formed Tinnitus Quest non-profit.

Tinnitus Quest has a sole vision: to silence tinnitus. This will be achieved through funding agile, exploratory research, asking new research questions that have not been previously investigated. We invite you to be part of our quest and join our ‘quiet revolution’.

(00:00) Introducing Tinnitus Quest

(09:09) War on Tinnitus – a New Approach

(17:59) Tinnitus Quest – Structure & Funding

(23:52) Why Funding and Breakthroughs Have Been Lacking

(31:37) Getting Researchers Together

(39:53) Why a New Foundation?

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