The Hearing Institute is a center for basic and translational neuroscience research in the field of hearing, set up at the initiative of the Fondation Pour l'Audition and the Institut Pasteur.
The Hearing Institute has three main priorities:

1. TO CARRY OUT TOP-LEVEL BASICH RESEARCH

To elucidate the principles underpinning the workings of the auditory system, auditory perception and cognition, and multisensory integration; to improve understanding of the plasticity of the auditory system; and to shed light on interactions between the genome and the acoustic environment.

2. TO DEVELOP TRANSLATIONAL APPROACHES 

To improve treatment for patients by elucidating the pathogenesis of sensorineural hearing loss and by developing multiparametric tools to diagnose hearing impairments, innovative therapeutic approaches for children, young adults and older individuals, and aural rehabilitation based on advances in basic scientific knowledge.

3. TO TRANSFER SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE

The Hearing Institute disseminates its scientific and medical findings to the international scientific community and to all those involved in hearing health, including physicians, hearing aid specialists and speech therapists. It also shares this information with individuals with hearing loss and related organizations; it listens to their views and is committed to fostering a shared vision of any therapeutic developments.

The causes of hearing loss may be genetic, environmental, or – as is often the case – a combination of both. At any age, over-exposure to noise may put individuals at risk of hearing loss. Young people are increasingly spending time in recreational settings with poorly controlled noise levels, and with urbanization resulting in ever denser living conditions, noise pollution is on the rise. The auditory system is also particularly vulnerable to the effects of aging.

The Hearing Institute is a joint Institut Pasteur-Inserm research unit. It is composed of scientific staff from the Institut Pasteur, Inserm and the CNRS.

The Hearing Institute includes a Center for Research and Innovation in Human Audiology (CERIAH), whose task is to develop innovative diagnostic methods. It works in cooperation with ENT departments in the Paris Public Hospital Network (AP-HP) and university hospitals elsewhere in France (including Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand and Bordeaux), and with other hearing health professionals, especially hearing aid specialists.

The City of Paris is a project partner and was particularly instrumental in the acquisition and subsequent refurbishment of the building. The Greater Paris Region has announced its support for the purchase of cutting-edge equipment.

The Hearing Institute is part of the
Alliance Pour l'Audition movement

Set up by the Fondation Pour l'Audition, the Alliance Pour l'Audition promotes all aspects of hearing health, including basic, translational and clinical research and societal improvements. It supports large-scale projects including the Hearing Institute and centers for basic and clinical audiology research (CERCAs). The aim of the Alliance Pour l'Audition is to harness talent across the board, bringing together experts who share the ambition to improve the daily lives of those with hearing loss.