Klug Lab Other News

Klug Lab Awarded SPARK Grant for Groundbreaking Hearing Restoration Research

Research team receives funding to advance innovative solutions for age-related hearing loss

The Klug Laboratory has been awarded a prestigious SPARK Grant from the State of Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries grant program. This award will accelerate the translation of the lab's research on hearing restoration into marketable solutions that address one of the most common challenges of age-related hearing loss.

  • Bridging Research and Real-World Application

    Age-related hearing loss affects millions of people worldwide, with one of its most debilitating aspects being the difficulty in following conversations in noisy environments. Unlike conventional hearing loss that simply reduces volume, this specific form of impairment—often called the "cocktail party problem"—compromises a person's ability to distinguish between competing sounds, making social gatherings particularly challenging.

    The Klug Lab's approach targets the neural mechanisms responsible for auditory signal processing, offering hope for those who struggle with speech comprehension in crowded settings. The SPARK Grant will provide crucial resources to bridge the gap between laboratory research and commercial applications, potentially transforming how this form of age-related hearing loss is treated.

    From Laboratory to Marketplace

    This support from Colorado's Advanced Industries grant program will be transformative. While traditional hearing aids amplify all sounds, this new technology specifically addresses the brain's diminished capacity to filter and focus on relevant speech in noisy environments—a capability that naturally declines with age.

    The OEDIT Advanced Industries grant program was designed precisely for initiatives like this—supporting research with clear commercial potential that can strengthen Colorado's position in innovative industries while addressing significant health challenges.

    The lab will now begin the process of developing prototypes and conducting targeted trials necessary to bring their technology to market, potentially creating new jobs in Colorado's growing biotechnology sector.

    Looking Ahead

    As the lab moves forward with commercialization efforts, their work stands to benefit an aging population increasingly affected by communication difficulties in social settings. For millions who have withdrawn from social interactions due to hearing challenges, this technology represents more than just medical innovation—it offers the possibility of renewed connection and improved quality of life.

    The SPARK Grant's support of this hearing restoration technology exemplifies the important role that targeted public funding can play in advancing solutions to pressing health challenges while simultaneously fostering economic development in Colorado's advanced industries. The official start date of this two year project is May 1, 2025.

New Publication Alert: Klug Lab Unveils Novel Sapphire Optrode in International Collaboration

In an exciting development for neuroscience research, the Klug Lab has published a new paper detailing an innovative sapphire optrode that promises to enhance optogenetic experiments. This work represents an international collaboration between research teams from Macau, Guangzhou, UC Denver, and the Klug Lab at CU Anschutz.

  • A Transparent Yet Durable Solution

    The newly developed device combines neural recording capabilities across multiple channels with precise light stimulation through miniature LEDs embedded directly in a sapphire substrate. What makes this optrode particularly remarkable is the sapphire material itself—transparent like glass but with exceptional hardness that enhances both safety and targeting accuracy during experiments.

    Flexible Design for Customized Research

    One of the most significant advantages of this new technology is the ability to arrange recording sites and LED locations in arbitrary configurations. This flexibility will allow researchers in the future to customize the optrode layout for specific experimental requirements, potentially opening doors to novel experimental paradigms that were previously impossible to implement.

    Enhancing Optogenetic Research

    For those working in optogenetics—a technique that uses light to control cells in living tissue, typically neurons that have been genetically modified to express light-sensitive ion channels—this development represents a substantial leap forward. The integration of both recording and stimulation capabilities in a single, highly durable probe will enable more sophisticated experiments with greater precision.

    The combination of multi-channel neural recording with targeted light delivery through integrated LEDs addresses a critical challenge in the field: simultaneous stimulation and recording at precise locations in neural tissue.

    Citation:

    Yanyan Xu, Ben-Zheng Li, Xinlong Huang, Yuebo Liu, Zhiwen Liang, Xien Yang, Lizhang Lin, Liyang Wang, Yu Xia, Matthew Ridenour, Yujing Huang, Zhen Yuan, Achim Klug, Sio Hang Pun, Tim C. Lei, Baijun Zhang:

    Sapphire-Based Optrode for Low Noise Neural Recording and Optogenetic Manipulation

    ACS Chemical Neuroscience Vol 16, 628-641, 2025.

    https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00602

Dr. Benzheng Li Awarded Prestigious Hearing Health Foundation Emerging Research Grant

We are excited to announce that Dr. Benzheng Li has been awarded a Hearing Health Foundation Emerging Research Grant for his innovative work in computational neuroscience.

  • Dr. Li's research focuses on developing complex mathematical models and neural decoders to explore the neural mechanisms behind sound localization. His work bridges the gap between theoretical neuroscience and hands on experimental approaches, potentially leading to improved hearing technologies and interventions.

    The Hearing Health Foundation's Emerging Research Grant program supports promising scientists in the early stages of their careers who demonstrate exceptional potential to advance our understanding of hearing disorders. This competitive grant will provide crucial funding for Dr. Li to continue his groundbreaking work.

    This grant represents an important opportunity to advance our understanding of how the brain processes spatial auditory information. By developing more accurate models of neural circuits involved in sound localization, better treatments for those with hearing impairments can be facilitated.

    Dr. Li's interdisciplinary approach combines computational modeling, signal processing, and neuroscience wet alb approaches to understand the neural activity patterns associated with hearing in noise processing. His research has implications not only for hearing health but also for broader applications in neural engineering and sensory augmentation technologies.

    For more information about Dr. Li and this award, visit:

    https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/meet-the-researcher/ben-zheng-li-2025