Maybe you sat too close to those ginormous stage speakers at a Jefferson Airplane concert back in the day. Or your earbuds have been turned up way too loud for far too long. Or you’re just growin’ old.
Those are among the various reasons why tens of millions of people — including 15 percent of the adult population in the United States — experience hearing loss, now a public health epidemic.
Hearing aids and cochlear implants that amplify sounds are traditional, if limited, solutions, but now breakthrough medical remedies are in the works. Currently, several biotechnology companies are developing novel drug therapies that promise to actually repair inner-ear damage and restore normal hearing.
