ERLANGEN, Germany & BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 3, 2025--
The novel compound AC102 almost completely reversed tinnitus in a preclinical model after a single dose. At the same time, the damaged connections between the auditory nerve and inner ear sensory cells were restored. These findings were recently published in the prestigious International Journal of Molecular Sciences in a joint study conducted by Erlangen University Hospital and Berlin-based drug developer AudioCure. As there is currently no causal treatment for tinnitus, there is a high medical need.
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In the current study, AC102 was administered to the middle ear of one experimental group after acoustic trauma, while a second group received a placebo. Although both groups initially showed signs of tinnitus, they nearly disappeared in the AC102 group after five weeks – in clear contrast to the placebo group. Additionally, the AC102 group showed significantly less loss of synaptic connections between the inner ear and the auditory nerve than the placebo group. This damage is considered to be a potential cause of tinnitus: “Our results suggest regeneration of inner ear structures that are critical for tinnitus and could be an important milestone and a glimmer of hope for a causal treatment of tinnitus,” says the study's first author, Dr. Konstantin Tziridis from Erlangen University Hospital.
About two-thirds of sudden hearing loss patients also suffer from tinnitus, which persists in around 30% of cases. Although 10-15% of adults experience tinnitus, no effective causal treatment exists. AC102 has the potential to become a new treatment option. In a preclinical acoustic trauma model, it almost completely reversed sudden hearing loss. Since tinnitus often accompanies sudden hearing loss, AudioCure is investigating AC102’s potential efficacy also against tinnitus in its ongoing study. AudioCure's CEO, Dr. Reimar Schlingensiepen, emphasizes: "Constant ear noise caused by tinnitus can be even more stressful for many patients than the hearing loss itself. With AC102, we hope to eventually have an effective remedy for both conditions. This would be a great relief for patients and doctors who have no approved drug treatment available at present." AC102 has already been tested for safety and tolerability in a clinical study and is currently being examined in a Europe-wide Phase-2-study in patients for its effectiveness in sudden hearing loss and tinnitus.
In 10-20% of tinnitus cases, the noise in the ear is so severe that it significantly impairs the quality of life of those affected. (Source: AI-generated)
Khadijah Farrakhan, longtime wife of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, died on Saturday, the Nation of Islam has announced. She was 90.
“Mother Khadijah” worked alongside her provocative and charismatic husband for decades, helping lead their religious and sociopolitical movement, which espouses Black self-reliance. Its home base was Mosque Maryam on the south side of Chicago, where the pair lived.
“The Honorable Minister @LouisFarrakhan with deep sadness yet with profound gratitude to Allah informs you that his beloved wife of 72 years, the first lady of the Nation of Islam, Mother Khadijah has returned to Allah (may Allah be pleased),” a statement by the Shura Executive Council said.
Her death came only seven months after devotees had marked Khadijah's 90th birthday. The statement said funeral services are to be announced.
Mosque Maryam remembered Farrakhan as “a devoted follower” with “a precious soul, a sweet heart.”
In a post on Facebook, R&B artist ZaRio Son Rise recalled her as “a true queen, a righteous woman, and one of the greatest examples of dignity, faith, loyalty, and grace our generation has ever witnessed.”
Born Betsy Ross, Khadijah Farrakhan married her husband, then named Louis Walcott, in Boston on Sept. 12, 1953. The two had nine children. Their eldest son, Louis Farrakhan Jr., died in 2018, and son Joshua Farrakhan died in 2023.
Khadijah Farrakhan converted to Islam in 1955, the same year that her husband joined the Chicago-based movement after being heavily influenced by Malcolm X, his friend from Boston. The pair changed their names around that time.
Louis Farrakhan stepped into the organization's leadership vacuum shortly after Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965. Among his most significant accomplishments was the Million Man March on Washington in 1995.
Two years later, Khadijah Farrakhan spoke before a gathering of America's Black women in Philadelphia dubbed the Million Woman March.
“A nation can rise no higher than its women,” she told the crowd. “We focus on women but cannot lose sight that we must rise as a family -- men, women and children.”
FILE - Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, his wife Khadijah Farrakhan, and their daughter, Maria Farrakhan Mohammad, pose for photographers in front of the Window Rock Navajo Monument, Wednesday, July 19, 2006, in Window Rock, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
FILE - Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, center from Chicago, Il., walks down the steps of the Capital Building with his wife, Mother Khadijah Farrakhan, left, as they arrive at the Millions More Movement on the National Mall, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2005 in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
FILE - Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan and his wife, Khadijah, watch as their grandson, Virginia senior Mustapha Farrakhan, is honored with other seniors before Virginia's NCAA college basketball game against North Carolina State in Charlottesville, Va., Tuesday, March 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
FILE - Khadijah Farrakhan, wife of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, stands before members of the 20th Navajo Nation Council Wednesday, July 19, 2006 in Window Rock, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
