Record donation for tinnitus research

The British Tinnitus Association (BTA) has donated a record £230,000 for a three-year tinnitus research post at the UCL Ear Institute, in the search for a cure for the condition.

The donation will be used to support a senior research associate post and a small team of researchers, working in a leading multidisciplinary research facility.

The project aims to lay the foundations of a proper understanding of tinnitus by exploring potential causes at multiple stages of the auditory pathway, with the goal of developing strategies for early diagnosis, identification of susceptible individuals and ultimately finding a way to abolish the causes of this debilitating condition.

The agreement was signed by the Chair of the BTA, Ewart Davies, and David McAlpine, Professor of Auditory Neuroscience and Director of the UCL Ear Institute, on 17 May 2008.

Martin Wass, Director of the BTA, said: "We are committed to finding a cure for tinnitus and believe this funding is essential in the quest to find out how people can treat the condition. At least 10% of the adult population in the UK has tinnitus and it can cause great distress to sufferers and their families."

David McAlpine, said: "The BTA's commitment to funding a research fellowship marks a significant step in the search for a cure for tinnitus. Here at the UCL Ear Institute, we believe that the most fruitful approach to finding a cure lies in understanding how the healthy auditory system works, and how it is perturbed in tinnitus. In partnership with the BTA, the UCL Ear Institute will be able to develop a programme of research that brings a wide range of scientific disciplines to bear on the investigation of tinnitus."

Image: Sir Stephen Sedley, President of the BTA, and David McAlpine, Professor of Auditory Neuroscience and Director of the UCL Ear Institute