Possible future research may include:
- Protecting the hearing nerve from dieback after deafness using nerve growth factors.
- Reproducing sound better in bionic ears using electrical stimulation.
- Making the cochlear transplant invisible for cosmetic purposes.
- Regenerate dead hair cells inside the cochlea using drugs.
- Curing of neural hearing losses by using genetic engineering to replace the auditory nerves if it is missing, damaged or regressed due to inactivity. Ultimately allowing cochlear implants to be able to fully replace the functions of the ear.
- A cure for hereditary hearing loss by examining the human genetic code.
That was from a year ago, so I am not sure whether the past's future is still today's future! So, you probably would want to update that.