“We are making encouraging progress as we investigate the genetic basis of the disease, finding that many patients have a recessive inheritance where both parents are carriers of the disease but don’t have any symptoms,” he said. “When I was working as an ENT surgeon in Spain more than 10 years ago, the condition was largely neglected and not well understood, and many patients were not doing well. “Today, we are learning more about the disease and the broad range of influences, including immune-response inflammation, allergy and migraine.”
“Importantly, we must consider that people will have different genetic and immune backgrounds, and different associated conditions, like migraine. “It is not the same disease for all individuals and will present differently. “We don’t have a magic pill that is going to work for everybody with Meniere’s. For some patients some medication will work, one drug will be better, but for others there will be another way. “That’s why it’s important we know which subgroup of Meniere’s a patient has.”
Prestigious International Award Professor Jose Antonio Lopez- Escamez received the Nylen-Hallpike Medal at the Barany Society Conference in Sweden. The award is granted to the world’s best vestibular researcher in basic science over the last two years. It recognises the significance of the research underway at the Kolling and the University of Sydney’s position as a world-leading institution in vestibular medicine. “We are now investigating the genetic mutations involved in the disease in preclinical models in a crucial step towards the development of gene therapy. We believe this game-changing approach will be available within the next 10 years.
Professor Jose Antonio Lopez-Escamez
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