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Schlee W, Schoisswohl S, Staudinger S, Schiller A, Lehner A, Langguth B, Schecklmann M, Simoes J, Neff P, Marcrum SC, Spiliopoulou M, Niemann U, Schleicher M, Unnikrishnan V, Puga C, Mulansky L, Pryss R, Vogel C, Allgaier J, Giannopoulou E, Birki K, Liakou K, Cima R, Vlaeyen JWS, Verhaert N, Ranson S, Mazurek B, Brueggemann P, Boecking B, Amarjargal N, Specht S, Stege A, Hummel M, Rose M, Oppel K, Dettling-Papargyris J, Lopez-Escamez JA, Amanat S, Gallego-Martinez A, Escalera-Balsera A, Espinosa-Sanchez JM, Garcia-Valdecasas J, Mata-Ferron M, Martin-Lagos J, Martinez-Martinez M, Martinez-Martinez MJ, Müller-Locatelli N, Perez-Carpena P, Alcazar-Beltran J, Hidalgo-Lopez L, Vellidou E, Sarafidis M, Katrakazas P, Kostaridou V, Koutsouris D, Manta R, Paraskevopoulos E, Haritou M, Elgoyhen AB, Goedhart H, Koller M, Shekhawat GS, Crump H, Hannemann R, Holfelder M, Oberholzer T, Vontas A, Trochidis I, Moumtzi V, Cederroth CR, Koloutsou K, Spanoudakis G, Basdekis I, Gallus S, Lugo A, Stival C, Borroni E, Markatos N, Bibas A, Kikidis D. Towards a unification of treatments and interventions for tinnitus patients: The EU research and innovation action UNITI. Prog Brain Res 2021; 260:441-451. [PMID: 33637231 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2020.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Tinnitus is the perception of a phantom sound and the patient's reaction to it. Although much progress has been made, tinnitus remains a scientific and clinical enigma of high prevalence and high economic burden, with an estimated prevalence of 10%-20% among the adult population. The EU is funding a new collaborative project entitled "Unification of Treatments and Interventions for Tinnitus Patients" (UNITI, grant no. 848261) under its Horizon 2020 framework. The main goal of the UNITI project is to set the ground for a predictive computational model based on existing and longitudinal data attempting to address the question of which treatment or combination of treatments is optimal for a specific patient group based on certain parameters. Clinical, epidemiological, genetic and audiological data, including signals reflecting ear-brain communication, as well as patients' medical history, will be analyzed making use of existing databases. Predictive factors for different patient groups will be extracted and their prognostic relevance validated through a Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) in which different patient groups will undergo a combination of tinnitus therapies targeting both auditory and central nervous systems. From a scientific point of view, the UNITI project can be summarized into the following research goals: (1) Analysis of existing data: Results of existing clinical studies will be analyzed to identify subgroups of patients with specific treatment responses and to identify systematic differences between the patient groups at the participating clinical centers. (2) Genetic and blood biomarker analysis: High throughput Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) will be performed in well-characterized chronic tinnitus cases, together with Proximity Extension Assays (PEA) for the identification of blood biomarkers for tinnitus. (3) RCT: A total of 500 patients will be recruited at five clinical centers across Europe comparing single treatments against combinational treatments. The four main treatments are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), hearing aids, sound stimulation, and structured counseling. The consortium will also make use of e/m-health applications for the treatment and assessment of tinnitus. (4) Decision Support System: An innovative Decision Support System will be implemented, integrating all available parameters (epidemiological, clinical, audiometry, genetics, socioeconomic and medical history) to suggest specific examinations and the optimal intervention strategy based on the collected data. (5) Financial estimation analysis: A cost-effectiveness analysis for the respective interventions will be calculated to investigate the economic effects of the interventions based on quality-adjusted life years. In this paper, we will present the UNITI project, the scientific questions that it aims to address, the research consortium, and the organizational structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winfried Schlee
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bezirksklinikum, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Stefan Schoisswohl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bezirksklinikum, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Staudinger
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bezirksklinikum, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Axel Schiller
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bezirksklinikum, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Astrid Lehner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bezirksklinikum, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Berthold Langguth
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bezirksklinikum, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Martin Schecklmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bezirksklinikum, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jorge Simoes
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bezirksklinikum, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Patrick Neff
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bezirksklinikum, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Steven C Marcrum
- Ear, Nose, Throat Department, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, DE, Germany
| | - Myra Spiliopoulou
- Department of Informatics, Knowledge Management and Discovery Lab, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, DE, Germany
| | - Uli Niemann
- Department of Informatics, Knowledge Management and Discovery Lab, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, DE, Germany
| | - Miro Schleicher
- Department of Informatics, Knowledge Management and Discovery Lab, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, DE, Germany
| | - Vishnu Unnikrishnan
- Department of Informatics, Knowledge Management and Discovery Lab, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, DE, Germany
| | - Clara Puga
- Department of Informatics, Knowledge Management and Discovery Lab, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, DE, Germany
| | - Lena Mulansky
- University Hospital Wuerzburg, Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry (IKE-B), Wuerzburg, DE, Germany
| | - Ruediger Pryss
- University Hospital Wuerzburg, Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry (IKE-B), Wuerzburg, DE, Germany
| | - Carsten Vogel
- University Hospital Wuerzburg, Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry (IKE-B), Wuerzburg, DE, Germany
| | - Johannes Allgaier
- University Hospital Wuerzburg, Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry (IKE-B), Wuerzburg, DE, Germany
| | - Efi Giannopoulou
- ZEINCRO Egeszegugyi Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Budakalasz, HU, Hungary
| | - Katalin Birki
- ZEINCRO Egeszegugyi Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Budakalasz, HU, Hungary
| | - Klairi Liakou
- ZEINCRO Egeszegugyi Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Budakalasz, HU, Hungary
| | - Rilana Cima
- Department of Health Psychology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Johan W S Vlaeyen
- Department of Health Psychology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nicolas Verhaert
- Department of Health Psychology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Saskia Ranson
- Adelante Tinnitus Expertise Centre, Maastricht, NL, The Netherlands
| | - Birgit Mazurek
- Tinnitus Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Petra Brueggemann
- Tinnitus Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Benjamin Boecking
- Tinnitus Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nyamaa Amarjargal
- Tinnitus Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sandy Specht
- Tinnitus Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexandra Stege
- Tinnitus Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Charité University Hospital Berlin, Centrale Biobank Charité (ZeBanC), Berlin, DE, Germany
| | - Michael Hummel
- Tinnitus Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Charité University Hospital Berlin, Centrale Biobank Charité (ZeBanC), Berlin, DE, Germany
| | - Matthias Rose
- Charité University Hospital Berlin, Dept of Psychosomatic and Psychotherapy, Berlin, DE, Germany
| | - Kevin Oppel
- Terzo-Institut für angewandte Gehörforschung, Berlin, DE, Germany
| | | | - Jose Antonio Lopez-Escamez
- Otology & Neurotology Group CTS 495, Department of Genomic Medicine, GENYO. Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research: Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, PTS Granada, Granada, ES, Spain; Department of Otolaryngology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria Ibs. Granada, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, ES, Spain; Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology, Universidad de Granada, Granada, ES, Spain
| | - Sana Amanat
- Otology & Neurotology Group CTS 495, Department of Genomic Medicine, GENYO. Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research: Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, PTS Granada, Granada, ES, Spain
| | - Alvaro Gallego-Martinez
- Otology & Neurotology Group CTS 495, Department of Genomic Medicine, GENYO. Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research: Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, PTS Granada, Granada, ES, Spain
| | - Alba Escalera-Balsera
- Otology & Neurotology Group CTS 495, Department of Genomic Medicine, GENYO. Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research: Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, PTS Granada, Granada, ES, Spain
| | - Juan Manuel Espinosa-Sanchez
- Otology & Neurotology Group CTS 495, Department of Genomic Medicine, GENYO. Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research: Pfizer/University of Granada/Andalusian Regional Government, PTS Granada, Granada, ES, Spain; Department of Otolaryngology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria Ibs. Granada, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, ES, Spain
| | - Juan Garcia-Valdecasas
- Department of Otolaryngology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria Ibs. Granada, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, ES, Spain
| | - Maria Mata-Ferron
- Department of Otolaryngology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria Ibs. Granada, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, ES, Spain
| | - Juan Martin-Lagos
- Department of Otolaryngology, Instituto de Investigacion Biosanitaria ibs. Granada, Hospital Universitario Clinico San Cecilio, Granada, ES, Spain
| | - Maria Martinez-Martinez
- Department of Otolaryngology, Instituto de Investigacion Biosanitaria ibs. Granada, Hospital Universitario Clinico San Cecilio, Granada, ES, Spain
| | - María Jesús Martinez-Martinez
- Department of Otolaryngology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria Ibs. Granada, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, ES, Spain
| | - Nicolas Müller-Locatelli
- Department of Otolaryngology, Instituto de Investigacion Biosanitaria ibs. Granada, Hospital Universitario Clinico San Cecilio, Granada, ES, Spain
| | - Patricia Perez-Carpena
- Department of Otolaryngology, Instituto de Investigacion Biosanitaria ibs. Granada, Hospital Universitario Clinico San Cecilio, Granada, ES, Spain
| | - Jorge Alcazar-Beltran
- Department of Mental Health, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, ES, Spain
| | - Leyre Hidalgo-Lopez
- Department of Mental Health, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, ES, Spain
| | | | - Michalis Sarafidis
- Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS), Athens, GR, Greece
| | | | | | | | - Rano Manta
- Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS), Athens, GR, Greece
| | | | - Maria Haritou
- Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS), Athens, GR, Greece
| | - Ana Belén Elgoyhen
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular, "Dr. Héctor N. Torres" (INGEBI), Buenos Aires, AR, Argentina
| | | | - Michael Koller
- Center for Clinical Studies, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, DE, Germany
| | - Giriraj Singh Shekhawat
- College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia; Ear Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Tinnitus Research Initiative, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Holger Crump
- Patient Organisation "Hast Du Töne" Bergisch-Gladbach, Bergisch-Gladbach, DE, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Silvano Gallus
- Laboratory of Lifestyle Epidemiology, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandra Lugo
- Laboratory of Lifestyle Epidemiology, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Stival
- Laboratory of Lifestyle Epidemiology, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisa Borroni
- Laboratory of Lifestyle Epidemiology, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Nikolaos Markatos
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippocrateion Hospital, Department of Otolaryngology, Athens, GR, Greece
| | - Athanasios Bibas
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippocrateion Hospital, Department of Otolaryngology, Athens, GR, Greece
| | - Dimitris Kikidis
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippocrateion Hospital, Department of Otolaryngology, Athens, GR, Greece
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