SoundCure recently launched its Serenade® Tinnitus Treatment System at the American Academy of Audiology Meeting in Boston, marking the formal commercial release of its tinnitus treatment system that was cleared by the FDA and developed independently with hearing researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI).
Serenade is a handheld device that is programmed in the audiologist’s office for each individual patient according to his specific condition. Through the device’s earphones, the patient listens to therapeutic sounds that are designed to address the underlying neurological cause of tinnitus. Four different treatment sounds are available, anchored by advanced, proprietary S-Tones. According to SoundCure, long-term relief can be achieved when they are used in an ongoing sound therapy program.
The American Tinnitus Association provided a grant to UCI to develop the technology. S-Tones are low frequency, amplitude modulated tones that are frequency pitch-matched to a patient’s unique tinnitus, representing a significant clinical breakthrough compared to previous approaches.
Dr Fan-Gang Zeng, one of the technology inventors, stated that these modulated tones “keep the brain’s interest” thus “inhibiting and reducing the perceived tinnitus sound and bringing relief.” In addition, S-Tones are intended to be “listened to at a volume that is lower than the patient’s tinnitus, reducing the sound burden,” added Dr Zeng.
SoundCure CEO Bill Perry said in the AAA press release, “This approach was developed by a team with a deep scientific understanding of the neurophysiology of tinnitus and how the brain processes sound. It is an important solution to provide relief to patients and represents a real advance in tinnitus care.”
SOURCE: SoundCure
