# Hair Cell Responses to Ototoxic Drugs

> **NIH NIH R01** · CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $504,479

## Abstract

   
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant):  Aminoglycoside antibiotics, like gentamicin, are critical for treating life-threatening infections, yet dosing is limited by toxic side-effects thatlead to acute renal failure and permanent hearing loss in as many as 120,000 individuals each year in the US. The long-term goal is to protect the cochlear sensory hair cells from drug-induced ototoxicity, and maintain life-long hearing function. We recently demonstrated that experimental models of inflammation typically induced by bacterial infections treated by aminoglycosides potentiate the cochlear uptake of aminoglycosides and exacerbate aminoglycoside-induced ototoxicity. This proposal asks three specific questions: 1: Which markers of inflammation influence cochlear uptake of aminoglycosides? 2: Is inflammation-potentiated ototoxicity reduced in models with disrupted inflammatory signaling? 3: Do otoprotectants reduce inflammation-potentiated ototoxicity?  Identifying the inflammatory signaling mechanisms that potentiate aminoglycoside-induced ototoxicity is crucial to better protect cochlear function during
life-saving aminoglycoside pharmacotherapy for infectious disease. These data will allow clinicians to optimize individualized anti-infective and aminoglycoside therapy for treating life-threatening infections, while protecting life-long cochlear function in patients with cystic fibross, tuberculosis and sepsis.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9849596
- **Project number:** 5R01DC004555-17
- **Recipient organization:** CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Peter Stephen Steyger
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $504,479
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2000-07-01 → 2022-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9849596

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9849596, Hair Cell Responses to Ototoxic Drugs (5R01DC004555-17). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9849596. Licensed CC0.

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