Ruben Stepanyan, PhD, Awarded Prestigious Grants to Advance Understanding of Acquired Hearing Loss

Innovations in Ear, Nose & Throat | Spring 2025

Ruben Stepanyan, PhD

Ruben Stepanyan, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, is the recipient of two prestigious grants that will further groundbreaking research into acquired hearing loss (AHL).

International Partnership

The United Kingdom’s distinguished Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) has awarded Dr. Stepanyan and his team a Discovery Research Grant. RNID provides generous funding in support of the 12 million people throughout the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or experience tinnitus.

The grant will propel Dr. Stepanyan’s novel research directed at combating AHL, a condition that detrimentally impacts millions of people worldwide. It is estimated that 30 percent of individuals over 60 have some degree of hearing loss, making AHL the third most common health condition affecting the aging population, behind heart disease and arthritis.

Dr. Stepanyan’s research proposal, Targeting Mitochondrial Calcium Uptake to Protect Against Noise-Induced Hearing Loss, delves into the complex cellular mechanism believed to underpin hearing and its deterioration over time.

“Our overarching goal is to improve the understanding of the mechanism of acquired hearing loss so that we can explore interventions to protect hearing,” Dr. Stepanyan says. “Decline in hearing can affect quality of life, increase social isolation and contribute to cognitive decline.”

He explains that there is no cure for AHL. Current treatments rely on sound amplification through hearing aids or stimulating the auditory nerve via cochlear implants.

Dr. Stepanyan and his team seek to understand the role mitochondria play in enabling cellular hearing through innovative mouse models with altered mitochondrial function. Of particular interest is calcium uptake. Calcium ions are essential for numerous cellular processes, but imbalances can lead to cellular damage and death, particularly in sensitive structures like the inner ear.

“We know that mitochondria are crucial contributors to cellular health,” he says. “We hope our study will inform pharmacological or genetic reprogramming strategies that will one day preserve hearing function.”

Collaboration with Mass Eye and Ear

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communications Disorders has awarded researchers at Case Western Reserve University and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Institute, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, a five-year, $3.2 million grant to seek new ways to protect against AHL.

“An important factor in hearing is the health of cochlear hair cells — sensory cells in the inner ear that detect sound vibrations and send electric signals to the brain,” Dr. Stepanyan says. “These cells are packed with mitochondria, essentially microscopic energy-producing components.”

He explains that hair cell health is dependent on balanced calcium regulation. Loud noises can elevate calcium levels and stress the cochlear hair cells.

The Cleveland and Boston-based teams have developed a mouse model prone to calcium overload and early hearing loss. These models will help researchers determine how overstimulation from loud sounds affects cochlear hair cell structure and function. Advanced 3D imaging and machine learning-based data analysis will provide sophisticated methods for monitoring how these cells alter in response to stress.

In seeking a cure for AHL, the synergy between basic science researchers at School of Medicine and expert practitioners at the University Hospitals Ear, Nose & Throat Institute is laying the groundwork for transformational breakthroughs in the search to preserve underlying mechanisms of hearing.

“We are extremely honored to receive both of these impactful grants that will enable us to progress in this important work,” Dr. Stepanyan says. “Our hope is to move closer to a future where hearing loss is no longer an inevitable consequence of aging, but a preventable and treatable condition.”

For more information, contact Dr. Stepanyan at rxs690@case.edu.

Contributing Expert:
Ruben Stepanyan, PhD
Associate Professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
University Hospitals Ear, Nose & Throat Institute
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine