Gene therapy restores hearing in deaf patients

Overview

Children born profoundly deaf can now hear their parents' voices. A single injection of gene therapy into the inner ear has restored hearing in dozens of patients with genetic deafness, moving some forms of lifelong hearing loss from permanent disability into the treatable category. The effect is rapid—most patients recover hearing within weeks—and sustained over at least two years of follow-up.

In This Story

2 People

4 Orgs

FDA Approves DB-OTO, Gene Therapy Goes Mainstream

3 Context

Luxturna for Inherited Blindness

Key Indicators

54 dB

Average hearing improvement

Patients went from complete deafness (106 dB) to moderate hearing loss (52 dB)

11 of 12

Patients with restored hearing

Regeneron's DB-OTO trial success rate, with 3 achieving normal hearing

2-8%

Deafness cases from OTOF

Approximately 200,000 people globally have OTOF-related hearing loss

30 days

Time to hearing recovery

Most patients showed measurable hearing improvements within one month

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People Involved

Yilai Shu

Principal Investigator, Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University (Led first successful human gene therapy trial for hearing loss)

John V. Brigande

Associate Professor, Oregon Hearing Research Center, OHSU (Pioneering fetal gene therapy for congenital deafness)

Organizations Involved

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Biopharmaceutical Company

Status: Leading developer of DB-OTO gene therapy, seeking FDA approval

Developer of DB-OTO, the most advanced gene therapy for OTOF-related hearing loss.

Eli Lilly and Company (Akouos)

Pharmaceutical Company

Status: Developing AK-OTOF gene therapy through acquired subsidiary

Acquired Akouos in 2022 for $487M to develop gene therapies for hearing loss.

Sensorion

Biotechnology Company

Status: Advancing SENS-501 through dose-escalation trial

French biotech developing SENS-501 gene therapy for OTOF-related hearing loss.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Pediatric Academic Medical Center

Status: First U.S. site to administer gene therapy for genetic hearing loss

Performed the first gene therapy procedure for genetic hearing loss in the United States.

Timeline

Gene Therapy Restores Hearing in Deaf Patients
Publication

Nature Medicine publishes expanded results: 10 patients with OTOF mutations show rapid hearing recovery including teenagers and adults.
July 3rd, 2025
Regeneron Presents 48-Week Follow-Up Data
Results

Patients show sustained hearing gains with significant speech development progress at Association for Research in Otolaryngology meeting.
February 24th, 2025
Sensorion Advances to Higher Dose
Clinical Trial

Data monitoring committee clears AUDIOGENE trial to proceed with threefold higher dose in second cohort.
December 17th, 2024
DB-OTO Results Published in NEJM
Publication

Regeneron's trial shows 11 of 12 patients improved, with 3 achieving normal hearing. No drug-related adverse events.
October 1st, 2024
Sensorion Reports Positive First-Cohort Data
Results

SENS-501 low-dose cohort patient shows measurable hearing improvements and 145% IT-MAIS score increase.
June 30th, 2024
Bilateral Treatment Shows Speech Gains
Results

Study demonstrates children treated in both ears develop better speech perception and music recognition.
June 5th, 2024
CHOP Patient Achieves Hearing Recovery
Results

First U.S. patient shows improvement from profound deafness to mild-moderate hearing loss within four months.
January 31st, 2024
China Reports 5 of 6 Children Gained Hearing
Results

Fudan University team publishes results showing bilateral gene therapy restored hearing and speech in five children.
January 25th, 2024
First U.S. Patient Treated at CHOP
Treatment

11-year-old receives AK-OTOF gene therapy at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, first in United States.
October 4th, 2023
Major Clinical Trials Launch in U.S.
Clinical Trial

Regeneron's CHORD trial and Eli Lilly's AK-OTOF-101 trial begin enrolling patients.
September 15th, 2023
First Patient Receives OTOF Gene Therapy
Clinical Trial

Yilai Shu's team at Fudan University treats the first patient with RRG-003, launching first successful human trial.
December 1st, 2022
Eli Lilly Acquires Akouos for $487M
Corporate

Lilly buys gene therapy biotech Akouos to develop treatments for genetic hearing loss.
October 1st, 2022
First Gene Therapy Trials for Hearing Loss Begin
Clinical Trial

Novartis initiates CGF166 trial targeting ATOH1 gene, though it ultimately fails in humans.
January 1st, 2014
Gene Therapy Restores Sight in Blind Dogs
Preclinical

Researchers successfully restored sight in three dogs with LCA using AAV gene therapy, paving the way for human trials.
January 1st, 2001

Scenarios

FDA Approves DB-OTO, Gene Therapy Goes Mainstream

Discussed by: Industry analysts, Regeneron executives, clinical investigators at Mass Eye and Ear

Regeneron submits its biologics license application by year-end 2025 and receives FDA approval in 2026, making the U.S. the first country to approve gene therapy for hearing loss. The treatment becomes available at major academic medical centers for OTOF-related deafness, priced similarly to other rare disease gene therapies ($500K-$2M per treatment). Insurance coverage battles ensue, but the therapy's ability to restore natural hearing—outperforming cochlear implants in speech-in-noise and music perception—creates strong patient demand. Success with OTOF opens the floodgates: clinical trials launch for GJB2 (the most common genetic cause) and TMC1. Within five years, gene therapy becomes the standard of care for genetic deafness diagnosed early in childhood, fundamentally shifting the deaf community's relationship with medical intervention.

High Costs and Variable Results Limit Adoption

Discussed by: Health economists, insurance industry, disability rights advocates

Gene therapy receives regulatory approval but adoption stalls. The 90-dB variability in outcomes—some patients achieve normal hearing while others see no improvement—makes it difficult to predict who will benefit. At $1-2 million per treatment, insurers balk at coverage for a therapy that only helps 2-8% of deaf patients and may require cochlear implants as backup. Deaf community advocates argue the therapy medicalizes deafness and diverts resources from accessibility infrastructure. Most families opt for proven cochlear implants at $50K-100K total cost. Gene therapy becomes a niche treatment for families with genetic diagnoses, early detection, and exceptional insurance or wealth. Progress on treating more common genetic causes (GJB2, TMC1) remains stuck in preclinical development due to technical challenges with those larger genes.

Breakthrough Extends to Common Genetic Causes

Discussed by: Academic researchers, Gene Therapy journals, WHO hearing health initiatives

Building on OTOF success, researchers crack the delivery challenges for GJB2 and TMC1 within three years. Since GJB2 mutations alone cause 30-50% of genetic hearing loss in many populations, this dramatically expands the treatable population from 200,000 to several million globally. Competition among Regeneron, Eli Lilly, Sensorion, and new entrants drives prices down to $200K-500K per treatment. Newborn screening programs in developed countries add comprehensive genetic deafness panels, enabling treatment in infancy during the critical window for speech development. Developing countries with high rates of GJB2-related deafness (particularly in Asia and the Middle East) negotiate manufacturing licenses. By 2030, gene therapy has prevented deafness in 100,000+ children, fundamentally altering the epidemiology of childhood hearing loss.

Safety Issues or Treatment Failures Stall Progress

Discussed by: FDA safety reviewers, medical ethicists, patient safety advocates

Long-term follow-up reveals problems. Some patients experience delayed immune responses to AAV vectors, causing inflammation and hearing loss years after initial gains. Others develop vestibular dysfunction—balance problems, vertigo—from off-target effects in the inner ear. A few patients in expansion cohorts show no benefit, and one experiences permanent complete hearing loss in the treated ear. The FDA delays approval pending additional safety data. Public confidence wavers as media covers cases of children who underwent surgery but didn't benefit, or who lost residual hearing they had before treatment. Clinical trials continue but enrollment slows dramatically. The hearing loss gene therapy field enters a multi-year pause similar to the setback after Jesse Gelsinger's death in 1999, requiring improved vector design and patient selection before the promise can be realized.

Historical Context

Luxturna for Inherited Blindness

2007-2017

What Happened

Researchers developed an AAV gene therapy to treat Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), an inherited form of blindness caused by RPE65 gene mutations. After successful trials in blind dogs in 2001 and human trials beginning in 2007, the therapy dramatically improved vision in patients who had been legally blind. Twelve patients aged 8 to 46 experienced vision improvements within weeks of a single injection under the retina.

Outcome

Short Term

FDA approved Luxturna in December 2017 as the first gene therapy for an inherited disease, priced at $425,000 per eye.

Long Term

Luxturna established the regulatory and reimbursement pathway for gene therapies targeting sensory loss and demonstrated AAV vectors could safely restore function to neural tissue.

Why It's Relevant Today

OTOF gene therapy follows the same technical playbook—AAV vectors delivering functional genes to restore sensory function—and faces identical challenges around cost, patient selection, and durability of response.

Zolgensma for Spinal Muscular Atrophy

2014-2019

What Happened

Novartis developed Zolgensma, an AAV9 gene therapy delivering the SMN1 gene to treat spinal muscular atrophy, a neurodegenerative disease with 90% infant mortality. Clinical trials showed a single intravenous infusion dramatically improved motor function and survival in babies treated before symptom onset. Fifteen patients aged 0.9 to 7.9 months all survived and showed improved development, with the longest survivor remaining healthy at 33 months.

Outcome

Short Term

FDA approved Zolgensma in May 2019 at $2.125 million per patient, then the world's most expensive drug.

Long Term

Zolgensma proved gene therapy could treat central nervous system disorders and that astronomical one-time costs could gain reimbursement if the alternative was lifelong supportive care. Shifted paradigm toward ultra-early treatment.

Why It's Relevant Today

Like Zolgensma, OTOF gene therapy shows best results in young children during critical developmental windows, raising identical questions about newborn screening, early diagnosis, treatment timing, and how to price cures for rare pediatric diseases.

Cochlear Implants Overcome Resistance

1984-2000

What Happened

When the FDA approved cochlear implants for adults in 1984 and children in 1990, many in the Deaf community opposed them as cultural genocide—attempting to 'fix' deaf people rather than accepting deafness as a natural variation. The National Association of the Deaf initially opposed pediatric cochlear implantation. Parents faced difficult choices between medical intervention and Deaf culture. Over time, outcomes data showed clear benefits for early implantation, particularly for speech and language development.

Outcome

Short Term

Adoption grew slowly amid fierce cultural debates, with many Deaf leaders viewing implants as threats to sign language communities.

Long Term

Cochlear implants became standard of care for severe-to-profound hearing loss, with 736,900 devices implanted globally by 2019. Deaf community adapted, many embracing both technological intervention and cultural identity.

Why It's Relevant Today

Gene therapy reignites the same cultural tensions cochlear implants faced: Is deafness a disability to cure or a difference to celebrate? Early intervention raises stakes even higher, as gene therapy in infancy could prevent children from ever entering Deaf culture.