Working Together for Better Care in Vestibular Disorders
The PROVIDE (Patient-Centered Care for Vestibular Disorders) Doctoral Network is an exciting initiative funded by the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). Their mission is to improve the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of vestibular disorders that affect balance and spatial orientation, often making daily life challenging for millions of people worldwide.
Vestibular disorders can leave individuals feeling dizzy, unsteady, or disconnected from their surroundings, yet there are still many unanswered questions about how the vestibular system works and how best to treat these conditions. PROVIDE brings together experts from universities, clinics, and industry to find innovative solutions while training the next generation of researchers to advance care for those affected.
What Is PROVIDE Doing?
PROVIDE is made up of ten research groups, each hosting one doctoral candidate, working on a different aspect of vestibular disorders. Together, they are exploring new ways to understand, diagnose, and treat vestibular disorders. Their work is organized into three main areas:
Understanding the Causes of Vestibular Disorders
They want to uncover why vestibular disorders happen in the first place. Three of their researchers are working on projects that explore:
- How the brain adapts to vestibular damage: Using advanced imaging techniques, they are studying how damage in the inner ear affects the brain and how it tries to adjust.
- The link between inner ear damage and balance problems: By looking at both animal models and human tissue samples, they aim to understand how structural damage leads to movement difficulties.
- Creating lab-grown models of the inner ear: These models will help them study how vestibular cells develop and respond to damage or genetic changes, which could lead to new treatments in the future.
Improving Diagnosis and Monitoring
Diagnosing vestibular disorders can be tricky, so the members of the PROVIDE Network are working on better tools and methods to make this process easier and more accurate. Their researchers are:
- Using artificial intelligence (AI) to track symptoms: They are developing digital tools that combine patient-reported symptoms with AI-powered diagnostic models to help doctors better understand what’s happening.
- Refining clinical tests: By improving existing balance tests and creating new ones, they hope to make it easier for healthcare professionals to assess vestibular function reliably.
- Exploring hormonal changes: They are investigating whether fluctuations in certain hormones might be linked to vestibular disorders, which could help identify new biomarkers for diagnosis.
Finding Better Treatments
PROVIDE knows that living with a vestibular disorder can be incredibly frustrating, so they are also focused on developing innovative treatments. Their projects include:
- Studying genetic and environmental risk factors: By analyzing large patient datasets, they are identifying what might increase someone’s risk of developing a vestibular disorder.
- Testing a wearable device called BalanceBelt: This device uses gentle vibrations to help people regain their balance and confidence in everyday life.
- Exploring neurostimulation therapies: They are optimizing a device that stimulates the nervous system to improve balance and reduce dizziness in people with more severe symptoms.
- Improving vestibular implants: For patients with severe vestibular loss, they are working on enhancing implant technology so it can be safely used at home while being monitored remotely by doctors.
Why Does This Matter?
At PROVIDE, they believe that no one should have to live with the uncertainty or frustration caused by vestibular disorders. That’s why collaboration is at the heart of everything they do—whether it’s sharing their findings with scientists and doctors or creating educational resources for patients and their families. They also partner with organizations like the Vestibular Disorders Association (VeDA) to raise awareness about these conditions through events like Balance Awareness Week.
Looking Ahead
PROVIDE’s ultimate goal is not just to advance science but also to improve lives. By training a new generation of researchers who are passionate about patient-centered care, PROVIDE aims to leave a lasting legacy in the field of vestibular research—one that prioritizes understanding, compassion, and innovation. Together, they are working toward a future where everyone affected by vestibular disorders has access to better care and solutions tailored to their needs.
