Northumberland Freemasons give £75k grant to tinnitus research aiming to find a cure

The grant will fund a Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) studentship which aims to develop young researchers wanting a career in auditory neuroscience. The studentship has been awarded to Kate Yukhnovich, who is based at the University of Newcastle, under the supervision of Dr William Sedley.

The study will use a brain imaging method called electroencephalography (EEG) to compare the changes in brain activity of people with and without tinnitus while they listen to a series of sounds. Through her findings, she will aim to develop a test to tell whether a person has tinnitus or not.

The grant from the Masonic Charitable Foundation is funded by Freemasons, their families and friends, from across England and Wales.

Kate Yukhnovich said: “It’s astonishing that more work isn’t done in this area, considering more than seven million adults in the UK are living with tinnitus. I’m really keen to develop a clearer understanding of the condition and help people who are affected.”

Dr Greg Smith from Northumberland Freemasons said: “I’m very pleased we’ve been able to help RNID with this hugely important research.

"It’s desperately important that we continue to research this condition and find a solution. This partnership offers us more hope that tinnitus might one day be silenced.”

Ralph Holme, director of research and insight at RNID, said: “We’re very grateful to Northumberland Freemasons for this generous grant.

"Hearing loss and tinnitus research is significantly underfunded, which is why grants like this are so important to help us achieve breakthroughs.”