Members of the Remenschneider Lab at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School, including Harvard Otolaryngology Lecturer Aaron Remenschneider, MD, MPH, Harvard Neurotology Fellow Elliott Kozin, MD, and PhD student Nicole Black have created PionEar, a tiny bio-inspired, 3D-printed ear tube that reduces scarring as well as the need for repeated insertion surgery.
Ear tubes, which are tiny plastic or meteal cylinders that are surgically inserted into the eardrum to keep the ear porperly ventilated, have been the standard treatment for children with chronic ear infections for decades. They work by allowing fluid to properly flow outside of the ear to prevent painful clogging. While they do work quite well, according to Black, it's estimated that 40 percent of ear tubes actually end up failing.
Looking for a solution, Black teamed up with Dr. Remenschneider and Dr. Kozin to create a system that expedites the healing process for chronic ear infection sufferers in ways ear tubes today cannot. PionEar is smaller than a traditional ear tube, which helps reduce scarring and the risk of them falling out too early. This also reduces the chance of bacterial infection and additional clogging. Additionally, the geometry of the device allow mucus build-up to drain out of the ear and medicine to flow into the middle ear to effectively treat an infection.
Though this work, the PionEar team recently won top honors at the Collegiate Inventors Competition, receiving the gold award worth $10,000. The National Inventors Hall of Fame puts on this competition in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.