In this project, Dr Michael Mather at Newcastle University seeks to understand why children develop glue ear to identify way to improve treatments.
Project start date: March 2024
project end date: March 2025
Read about the project outcomes here.
About the project
Glue ear is a build-up of fluid behind the ear drum. There is no medicine that can get rid of the excess fluid.
We know that children with glue ear have lower amounts of an infection-fighting protein called ‘Immunoglobulin A’ (or IgA) in their adenoid. The adenoid protects the body from infections that enter through the nose or mouth. Increasing levels of IgA protein in the adenoid might help children resist infections, preventing inflammation developing in their ear and thus reducing the risk of glue ear.
How it works
The researchers will use excess tissue taken from children – including those with glue ear – undergoing surgery to remove their adenoids. They will then grow the adenoid tissue in the lab before introducing a typical bacteria associated with glue ear to the cells. By measuring how much IgA protein the cells make, the team can see if there is a difference between children with glue ear and those without.
How will this research benefit children with glue ear?
Glue ear is the most common cause of hearing loss in children. Treatment usually consists of either hearing aids to amplify sounds, or surgery, with long waiting times and potential risks.
This project will develop a method to grow adenoid tissue in the lab and study how adenoid cells respond to infectious bacteria.. Ultimately, this will help develop a vaccine spray (delivered to the nose) to ‘train’ the adenoid tissue to fight infections. This would avoid the cost, risk, and delay in treatment that is currently incurred with surgery.
What we’ve learned so far
At the end of the project, the researchers had been successful in growing adenoid tissue in the lab under conditions that made them grow as if they were growing in the body. These cultures contained adenoid epithelial cells (cells that cover the surface of tissues in the body), as well as immune system cells such as B cells that produce antibodies, and T cells, that direct immune responses.
This will be a crucial tool to better understand the biological processes involved in middle ear infections and the role of immune system cells, and how their responses may differ in people who are prone to chronic middle ear infections.
About the researcher
Dr Michael Mather is an NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Otolaryngology at Newcastle University.
I hope that my research will find new ways to treat common causes of hearing loss, such as glue ear, which avoids the cost and risk associated with surgery – which is necessary in many cases at the present time.”
