Nanoparticles As Hearing Aids

From Medgadget:

NanoBioMagnetics, Inc. of Edmond, Oklahoma has received a patent for using metallic nanoparticles as the main component for creating a hearing aid system. The patent, titled "Method and Apparatus for Improving Hearing," is based on the use of magnetically responsive nanoparticles implanted in the organs of the middle ear to drive tissue vibrations in the amplification of sound. The technology was the first demonstration of the nanomechanical movement of tissue and operates in principle much like a typical commercial electromagnetic hearing aid. Development and validation was done during 2002 - 2004. The company now will move the technology through commercialization partnerships. Statistics of the National Institutes of Health indicate sensorineural hearing loss affects approximately 28 million Americans. The technology covered by today's patent has the potential to move hearing aid systems to smaller and totally implantable hearing devices, achieving more favorable patient economics, performance and compliance.

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