Study examines inner-ear signaling in CMT to improve how clinical trials measure whether a treatment is working.
GLENOLDEN, PA, UNITED STATES, February 26, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (CMTA) announced today a $141,000 investment to support a two-year study at the Kresge Hearing Research Institute at Michigan Medicine. Led by Gabriel Corfas, PhD, the project will investigate whether people with CMT1A experience forms of hearing loss that standard hearing tests may miss, often described as “hidden hearing loss.”
The hearing system is responsible for sending signals to the brain to detect both sound and balance. Because poor balance is a common issue in CMT, this work will help to understand the role of the hearing system in the signal system for balance. A better understanding of this role could provide outcome measures to follow CMT progression in new ways in future clinical trials.
The study will begin with a survey of people living with CMT1A to capture daily experiences with hearing, balance, and communication. A second phase will invite adults (ages 18-50) with CMT1A to the Kresge Hearing Research Institute at Michigan Medicine to undergo hearing tests that measure potential hearing loss routine exams can miss, including speech understanding in noisy settings and sound localization. Results will be compared to those of individuals without CMT1A to determine whether hidden hearing loss is associated with CMT1A. The study will also include balance assessments to better understand how this affects people living with CMT1A.
“We are deeply committed to understanding all aspects of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and how it affects the lives of those in the CMT community,” said Dr. Corfas. “Recent discoveries have shown that hearing challenges may reflect broader issues related to balance and spatial processing in CMT1A. By studying these connections, we hope to generate insights that can support better care and help inform future research and clinical trials.”
“Balance problems are common in CMT, but they are not well captured in current clinical trials,” said Sue Bruhn, PhD, CMTA CEO. “By investing in research that examines how signals from the inner ear are processed, CMTA is supporting the development of outcome measures that could help detect change in response to treatment in future clinical trials.”
This project aims to understand how changes in signaling related to hearing and balance are affected in individuals with CMT1A. By examining these systems together, the study focuses on identifying measurable signals that reflect underlying nerve function, rather than relying solely on symptoms. This work supports the development of outcome measures that can be used in future clinical trials to better detect whether a treatment is having a benefit.
About Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT)
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is a group of rare, inheritable peripheral neuropathies. Named after Jean-Martin Charcot, Pierre Marie, and Howard Henry Tooth, who first described it in 1886, CMT causes progressive muscle weakness, loss of sensation, impaired balance, and other debilitating complications. There is currently no cure or approved treatment.
About the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (CMTA)
The Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (CMTA) is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT). As the largest philanthropic funder of CMT research, CMTA has invested more than $33 million since 2008 to accelerate research leading to new treatments and ultimately a cure. Through a strategic model that combines targeted funding, specialized scientific tools and resources, and strong patient partnership, CMTA drives promising science toward meaningful outcomes for people living with CMT.
Learn more: cmtausa.org
Kenny Raymond
Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association
+1 800-606-2682
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