The new workplace for comprehensive brain and hearing research combines experimental and clinical approaches. From left: Dr. Lukáš Varga from BMC SAV and LF UK, Prof. Miroslav Tedla, Head of the ENT Clinic at LF UK and UNB, Scientific Director of the Institute of Experimental Endocrinology at BMC SAV Dr. Daniela Gašperíková, Prof. Milan Profant from the ENT Clinic of the Faculty of Medicine of Comenius University and UNB, General Director of BMC SAV Prof. Silvia Pastoreková, former President of SAV Prof. Pavol Šajgalík, Head of the new laboratory Dr. Peter Hubka from BMC SAV, Member of the Presidium of SAV Dr. Tomáš Hromádka.
On 18 September 2025, the Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (BMC SAS), the Faculty of Medicine of Comenius University in Bratislava, and the University Hospital Bratislava jointly introduced a new Laboratory for Comprehensive Brain and Auditory Research, located at BMC SAS. Its goal is to improve understanding of changes in brain function and structure in hearing and speech disorders, thereby contributing to more effective personalized treatment and better diagnostics for patients.
Hearing disorders affect more than 1.5 billion people worldwide, of whom 430 million suffer from moderate to complete hearing loss. They represent a major medical as well as social problem, leading to reduced speech comprehension and social isolation.
“Precise diagnostics that would allow personalized, targeted treatment and rehabilitation would be highly beneficial. Our laboratory enables a comprehensive approach that has so far been missing, by combining diagnostics with detailed mapping of changes in the auditory nervous system,” explains Dr. Peter Hubka, head of the new joint facility from BMC SAS.
The Complex Brain and Auditory Studies Lab focuses on studying the nervous system and its capacity for adaptation in hearing and speech disorders. In particular, it examines the scope of neural plasticity – the ability of neural networks to adapt to external and internal stimuli – and its controlled modulation through changes in neural activity, which could enable personalized treatment and rehabilitation of the auditory system.
“We believe that our laboratory will enhance understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms in patients with hearing disorders, including those with cochlear implants, which can improve the diagnostic and therapeutic effectiveness of clinical approaches in the field of hearing and speech disorders,” adds Dr. Hubka.
Research at the laboratory includes electrophysiological, structural, histological, genetic, and behavioral aspects of perception, memory, learning, and other cognitive processes.
“The unique connection between research, clinical, and educational institutions creates conditions for developing modern diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for patients with various hearing disorders, including genetically determined ones, which our institute has long been addressing,” notes Dr. Daniela Gašperíková, Director of the Institute of Experimental Endocrinology at BMC SAS, where the new laboratory operates.
Text: P. Hubka, BMC SAV; E. Rybárová, BMC SAS
Photo: E. Rybárová, BMC SAS
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