Abstract

In a 2018 World Health Organization (WHO) study, over 400 million people worldwide were affected by hearing loss (World Health Organization, 2023). Cochlear implants have provided a conventional route to aid inner ear issues but are ineffective either delivering to unintended targets or delivering unknown concentrations of a particular drug and create toxicity to the user. With medical advances and using 3-D printing technology, new opportunities to use programmable drug delivery systems to treat auditory disorders have been created. Borkholder Labs in Rochester, NY have created and improved a miniaturized implantable and scalable peristaltic micropump that provides programmable and accurate drug delivery for inner ear applications. Borkholder Labs used a non-invasive micro-CT imaging technique to create a 3-D atlas of the mouse cochlea to determine measurements for transport parameters between the three cochlea scalae. Results validated quantities of inner ear pharmacokinetics, and the micropump components passed key biocompatibility tests which indicated they were suitable for translation applications including subcutaneous implantation in humans and animal models.  In an effort to introduce this micropump and how it can help restore hearing loss, an animation (about 3 minutes) was created in two parts: (1) Recover Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL)” and (2) “Restoration”. These animations provide information about (SNHL), as well as introducing Borkholder’s Labs’ micropump system which can help the restoration process of damaged inner and outer hair cells in the cochlea. Both animations were created to spread awareness and present the medical community with a new option for an implantable drug delivery system to treat hearing loss.

Publication Date

1-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Medical Illustration(MFA)

Department, Program, or Center

Medical Illustration

College

College of Health Sciences and Technology

Advisor

James Perkins

Advisor/Committee Member

Craig Foster

Advisor/Committee Member

David Borkholder

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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