Melbourne, Australia—Australian scientists are working on a new treatment that could potentially restore hearing for the millions of Australians who lose it within their lifetime. Although one in six Australians experience hearing loss, there is no drug treatment currently available. This figure will is predicted to rise to one in four by 2050, with the main causes being working in noisy industries such as music, mining, construction, manufacturing, or the military, and age-related hearing loss. The Garnett Passe and Rodney William Memorial Foundation awarded a $1.25 million grant to the Bionics Institute, which has spent a decade creating a world-first drug to reverse hearing loss. Unlike hearing aids or cochlear implants, the drug treats the underlying cause. The foundation’s CEO, Jeanette Pritchard, said that the drug would be administered through the ear to restore hearing to people. “When they are in the inner-ear, they actually promote the regrowth of the …