TrueSilence / digital polytherapeutic (Searchfield) for Tinnitus: What Does the Evidence Show?
Digital Therapeutics
Current evidence
Thirty years of Auckland tinnitus research just became a startup — personalized, gamified sound therapy by phone.
Evidence strength: Limited (2/5) · Tier 3 — experimental/emerging · Evidence independence: Primarily sponsor-supported.
A clinician-guided 90-day smartphone program (QCore platform) combining personalized passive and active sound therapy and training games, from Grant Searchfield's University of Auckland group; spun out as TrueSilence Therapeutics in August 2026.
Did tinnitus loudness improve?
None shown. No loudness claims verified.
Did tinnitus distress improve?
Limited. The 2022 prototype RCT (single-blind, N=61 analyzed): TFI −17.8 vs −10.1 with a white-noise app; clinically meaningful response 65% vs 43%. No product-level trials of the commercial version yet.
Loudness means the tinnitus percept itself became quieter (psychoacoustic matching or loudness ratings). Distress means questionnaire scores such as THI/TFI, sleep, anxiety or quality of life improved — the sound may be unchanged. A THI/TFI improvement is never evidence the tinnitus got quieter.
How strong is the evidence?
Respected research lineage with one supportive RCT for the prototype: 2/5 pending product-level trials.
Has the result been independently replicated?
None yet.
What are the limitations?
- Commercial product is new; evidence is for the research prototype
- Single-group research lineage; completer-only analysis in the prototype trial
Conflicts of interest: Founder-led research; standard spinout conflicts.
What should patients know about safety?
Safety evidence: Strong. Benign (sound + games).
Is it available?
Regulatory status: Early commercial (regulatory status not yet established). Company (Atlanta-based, technical staff in NZ) launched August 2026, rolling out via NZ audiologists while pursuing US regulatory approval. The launch is company news, not new clinical evidence.
Availability: Rolling out via app + earbuds model · Europe: Not announced · Cost (approx.): Not announced
What the studies found
Prototype digital polytherapeutic for tinnitus: randomized single-blind controlled trial
Searchfield GD, Sanders PJ. · Frontiers in Neurology · 2022 · N=98 enrolled / 61 analyzed (31 vs 30) · Randomized single-blind controlled trial vs white-noise app
TFI −17.8 points (polytherapeutic) vs −10.1 (white-noise app); clinically meaningful response 65% vs 43%.
A prototype app trial with ~61 completers — the research ancestor of the TrueSilence commercial product, which has no product-level trials yet.
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Evidence last reviewed: 2026-09-03 · Evidence included through: 2026-09-03 · Confidence: moderate. Open the interactive evidence profile.
This page summarizes published research for education. It is not medical advice; it cannot say what will work for any individual. Discuss treatment decisions with a qualified clinician.