ADVISORY/House Ear Institute: Media Alert & Press Conference Tomorrow at 8 A.M. PST; New Brain Implant Restores Some Hearing to Deaf Patients.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

ADVISORY...Friday, Jan. 16

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

    After a 15-year effort, physicians and researchers successfully
  deliver sound to the brain with an auditory brainstem implant that
                  uses new microelectrode technology


WHAT:         PRESS CONFERENCE WITH PATIENT, PHYSICIANS AND RESEARCH
              TEAM WHO DEVELOPED THE PENETRATING AUDITORY BRAINSTEM
              IMPLANT (PABI).

              Physicians at the House Ear Clinic recently surgically
              implanted a second patient with a Penetrating Electrode
              Auditory Brainstem Implant (PABI), a prosthetic hearing
              device that is currently in clinical trials.  This
              investigational device is designed to activate hearing
              neurons with more precision than previous devices to
              improve speech recognition for patients suffering from a
              hereditary disease called Neurofibromatosis Type II
              (NF2). NF2 can cause profound hearing loss through the
              growth of bilateral tumors on the balance (vestibular)
              nerves.

WHO:          Neurosurgeon William E. Hitselberger, M.D., and
              Neurotologist Derald E. Brackmann, M.D., of the House
              Ear Clinic in Los Angeles implanted the device. They
              worked closely with research scientist Robert V.
              Shannon, Ph.D., and research audiologist Steve Otto,
              M.A., on development of the device at the House Ear
              Institute (HEI). Neurophysiologist Douglas B. McCreery,
              Ph.D., of Huntington Medical Research Institutes (HMRI)
              in Pasadena, designed the penetrating electrode array.
              Audiologist Pete Arkis, M.A., the Clinical Support
              Software Manager from Cochlear Americas, the device
              manufacturer, is working with the HEI team to test the
              new device.

WHEN:         Friday, January 16, 2004, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

              Statements from:

              Surgeons William Hitselberger, M.D., and Derald
               Brackmann, M.D., on the surgery
              PABI Patient #2 on her motivation, expectation and
               results
              Robert Shannon, Ph.D., on PABI technology
              Douglas McCreery, Ph.D., on electrode array design
              Pete Arkis, M.A., on manufacture and testing of device

              8:25 a.m. - 9 a.m.  Q&A with all the experts

DIAL-IN:      If unable to attend, participate by calling:
              1-304-345-7354, then use call-in code: 168515

              Questions will be taken on a first-come-first-serve
              basis.

WHERE:        House Ear Institute (HEI)
              5th Floor Boardroom
              2100 West Third Street (at Alvarado)
              Los Angeles, CA  90057

WHY:          The experts collaborating on this breakthrough
              technology want to discuss the impact the PABI
              technology may have on hearing science, medical
              prosthetics and future patients.