An innovative 3D snapshot of the inner ear could help speed up the development of treatments for hearing loss, as well as pave the way for other medical insights to help fight disease.

It is a technological advancement being expanded by the Bionics Institute’s histology and in-vitro team leader Ella Trang, who is continuing in the footsteps of Laureate Professor Graeme Clark AC. He led the team that invented Australia’s multi-channel cochlear implant and later founded the Bionics Institute.

“The Bionics Institute really nurtured my interest in developing new techniques within the role that I play as a histologist, which involves tissue sectioning, staining and imaging,” says Ella, who joined the Institute in 2016 after completing a Biomedical Science degree with Honours.

But that traditional process has its limits: it typically reveals a 2D snapshot of what is happening in the body.

“All those discussions would ultimately lead to: ‘We think this is happening but we're not sure – it needs more investigation’,” she says. “But what if we were able to look at the tissue in 3D so we can fully see what is happening?”

The 3D imaging technique Ella is advancing was developed in the Melbourne biomedical ecosystem, with pioneering work done by the University of Melbourne.

The technique makes body tissue transparent, allowing for a 3D view of an intact cochlea under a microscope. This eliminates the need to examine it as one delicate, ultrathin slice, which is necessary to allow light to pass through.

Ella and researchers at the Bionics Institute are interested applying this technique to understand why some patients experience further hearing loss, or changes in hearing function, while using a cochlear implant.

“At the moment we're using the technique as a pre-clinical tool in a lot of research projects where we can answer five different questions using the same tissue. That can hopefully progress a lot of our projects out of that pre-clinical stage into that next step.”

It is hoped the 3D imaging technique may also be applied to research beyond the inner ear and hearing loss treatments. Ella is investigating the method’s potential to speed up other research, such as looking at the electrode nerve interface to study vagal nerve stimulation treatment for Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

It is the type of innovative work that the Bionics Institute has become known for and underlines the importance of funding medical research.

“It's a very innovative place and certainly one of those places where if you have an idea, I always feel that there is an opportunity to develop that idea,” says Ella, who is also currently undertaking a PhD while continuing her work thanks to the support of philanthropists.

Ella’s research was partly funded in 2023 by the Hazel Peat Perpetual Charitable Trust, which is managed by Equity Trustees. The Trust distributes around $30,000 each year with individual grants of up to $10,000 across a range of areas.

A second round of funding from the Hazel Peat Perpetual Charitable Trust this year will allow Ella and her team to progress the imaging technique further.

The next stage is to scan the inner ear with the cochlear implant in place, allowing an analysis of changes that occur once the implant is delivering stimulation. This aims to inform new methods of preserving hearing in cochlear implant users.

Updated 15 August 20024

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Banner image: Snap-shot of the automated cell count of the auditory nerve cells. A zoom-in of the automated cell counter identifying the individual auditory cells from the three-dimensional image. In total, there is approximately 21,000 auditory nerve cells in a healthy cochlea.