Launch of the IHU reConnect: Towards New Therapies for Hearing and Speech Disorders

On Monday, November 4, 2024, the Pasteur Institute hosted the launch event of IHU reConnect. The event featured two main highlights. 

The first was a scientific symposium bringing together international experts and covering a wide range of topics, including tinnitus, the link between hearing and speech, and the development of ANR therapies for optogenetic disorders. The symposium concluded with a presentation by Barbara Canlon, a renowned scientist in the field of hearing and winner of the 2023 Scientific Grand Prize from the Fondation Pour l’Audition. 

The second highlight was an evening event, which began with speeches from the founding members—the Pasteur Institute, Inserm, Paris Cité University, the Fondation Pour l’Audition, and AP-HP—who renewed their commitment to reConnect and their involvement in hearing health, unanimously declaring that “an IHU is designed to collectively invent pioneering medicine.” 

Thomas Dutronc, patron of the Institute, was unfortunately unable to attend the evening event but expressed his enthusiasm to meet and spend time with the teams at the Hearing Institute. This exchange was captured on video and can be viewed here. 

“I was very honored to be asked to be the patron of the IHU reConnect […] because as musicians and live performers, we are sometimes confronted with quite high volumes of sounds.”

Following an introduction by Michel Cymes, roundtable discussions provided an overview of topics such as tinnitus, stuttering, autism, cognitive disorders, and gene therapy. 

Moderated by Fabrice Papillon, these discussions brought together a wide range of stakeholders in hearing health, including patients such as Josef Schovanec, Norbert Krief, Malick Ndiaye, and Armelle Benoit, who shared their personal experiences and perspectives on the aforementioned disorders. 

To conclude the evening, Robin Meier captivated the audience with a unique auditory experience, creating artistic and musical performances using sounds from mosquitoes, pigeons, and fireflies. 

To ensure accessibility for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, a magnetic loop, sign language interpreters, and French and English velotypy were provided—a first for the Pasteur Institute! 

For more information about the day, see the programs for the scientific symposium and the launch evening. 

The goal of the new reConnect University Hospital Institute (IHU) is to offer the most innovative therapies to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, as well as those affected by tinnitus, speech, and language disorders such as stuttering, autism, and dyslexia.