Project Grant R44DC023860
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded Glimpse Diagnostics, Inc. $314,258 on June 1, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to develop closed-loop control algorithms for an adaptive Eustachian tube dysfunction treatment device. The recipient will create Bayesian optimization algorithms and computational fluid dynamics modeling to enable a point-of-care device that uses masseter reflex stimulation to...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded New York University School of Medicine $1,692,452 on June 1, 2026, under the Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310) to develop and validate a wireless ambulatory voice evaluator (WAVE) for clinical detection and management of voice disorders. The project optimizes real-time algorithms for on-device vocal dose calculations on a miniaturized, discrete sensor design approximately the size and weight of a U.S....
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded Massachusetts Institute of Technology $421,839 under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) on August 5, 2026, to develop and test cochlear implant strategies using machine learning. The award funds the creation of predictive models that simulate how different electrical stimulation strategies would affect auditory behavior in cochlear implant users. Cochlear implants bypass...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded Augmental Technologies Inc. $329,475 on August 20, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to develop a novel intra-oral wearable device that integrates inaudible speech recognition with an existing tongue-based computer interface for users with cervical spinal cord injuries. Augmental has developed the MouthPad, a fully wireless intraoral device that enables cursor...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded Cognixion Corporation $1,258,551 on July 20, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to develop and clinically validate the Cognixion Axon-R, a wearable augmented reality and brain-computer interface device combined with generative AI software for restoring communication in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and related neurodegenerative conditions....
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, part of the Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health, awarded $132,695 to the University of Maryland, College Park on July 1, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to develop artificial intelligence methods for delivering vocal tract gesture biofeedback in speech sound disorder therapy for children. The work spans two phases through June...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded Vanderbilt University Medical Center $136,911 on February 15, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to conduct a clinical trial feasibility study characterizing cognitive-linguistic and auditory processing profiles in adult cochlear implant recipients with poor speech recognition outcomes and to determine the feasibility of auditory and cognitive intervention...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded the University of Wisconsin - Madison $157,626 on September 30, 2025, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to conduct gene-editing research toward vocal fold scar mitigation. The recipient will use CRISPR/Cas-9 technology to knock out specific genes in vocal fold fibroblasts, targeting two pathways within the TGF-β signaling cascade: the SMAD-dependent pathway and...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded The University of Chicago $451,000 on August 24, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to develop a native biochemical preparation of the mechanotransduction complex (METC) from cnidarian nematocytes as a model of vertebrate hair-cell function. The award funds research into the structural dynamics and functional mechanisms of the METC, the cellular machinery...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded Northeastern University $197,000 on May 1, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to investigate clinical phenotypes of feedback and feedforward control in adults who stutter. The research tests two hypotheses: that distinct stuttering behaviors are associated with behavioral and neural correlates of feedback and feedforward control (Aim 1), and that distinct...
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded Micro-Leads Inc. $1.486 million on August 1, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to develop a closed-loop electrical stimulation therapy for unilateral vocal fold paralysis that restores natural voice and swallowing function. Micro-Leads will design and develop a closed-loop laryngeal electrical stimulation system that detects and responds to physiological needs to reanimate paralyzed vocal folds, addressing the approximately 100,000 individuals annually who lack adequate treatment options. The proposed system builds on FDA-approved predecessor devices and incorporates novel elements including directional field delivery, closed-loop detect-and-treat capabilities, and ultra-miniaturized size. Phase 1 work will custom-design a two-sided injectable micro-paddle based on separately funded nerve-interface technology. This approach targets the 85 percent of chronic unilateral vocal fold paralysis patients who retain partial neural innervation, providing a biological basis for electrical reanimation to restore dynamic vocal fold closure and improve voice and airway protection outcomes compared to current surgical alternatives that offer only temporary improvement or require permanent laryngeal alteration. Performance occurs in West Somerville, Massachusetts. The award period runs through July 31, 2028. This is a Small Business Innovation Research Phase 2 award, an assistance type for domestic small businesses developing innovative research solutions with commercial potential.
Mod # | Description | ReasonForModification | Federal Obligation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | $1.5m | 7/23/26 |