{"title":"Clinical gene therapy restores hearing: a paradigm shift.","authors":"Shuang Han, Ziting Chen, Daqi Wang, Luoying Jiang, Xintai Fan, Jiake Zhong, Chong Cui, Yuxin Chen, Jun Lv, Jiajia Zhang, Yu Zhao, Dazhi Shi, Wei Lu, Suijun Chen, Hongqun Jiang, Wei Yuan, Qin Wang, GuoDong Feng, Xuezhong Liu, Huijun Yuan, Fan-Gang Zeng, Huawei Li, Zheng-Yi Chen, Yilai Shu","doi":"10.1016/j.molmed.2025.07.007","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent breakthroughs in gene therapy for autosomal recessive deafness 9 (DFNB9) caused by OTOF mutations have transformed treatment paradigms for hereditary hearing loss (HHL). To date, eight clinical trials targeting DFNB9 have been registered in 51 centers across eight countries, demonstrating the rapid progress of gene therapy in auditory medicine. These pioneering studies establish the framework for the clinical translation of gene therapy targeting HHL. This review synthesizes progress in OTOF-related clinical trials, highlighting translational foci such as inner ear drug delivery, trial design, safety assessments, and auditory restoration outcomes. Key challenges in optimizing future therapeutic strategies - including addressing anatomical constraints, refining patient selection criteria, and standardizing outcome measures - are critically examined.</p>","PeriodicalId":23263,"journal":{"name":"Trends in molecular medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Trends in molecular medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmed.2025.07.007","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Recent breakthroughs in gene therapy for autosomal recessive deafness 9 (DFNB9) caused by OTOF mutations have transformed treatment paradigms for hereditary hearing loss (HHL). To date, eight clinical trials targeting DFNB9 have been registered in 51 centers across eight countries, demonstrating the rapid progress of gene therapy in auditory medicine. These pioneering studies establish the framework for the clinical translation of gene therapy targeting HHL. This review synthesizes progress in OTOF-related clinical trials, highlighting translational foci such as inner ear drug delivery, trial design, safety assessments, and auditory restoration outcomes. Key challenges in optimizing future therapeutic strategies - including addressing anatomical constraints, refining patient selection criteria, and standardizing outcome measures - are critically examined.
期刊介绍:
Trends in Molecular Medicine (TMM) aims to offer concise and contextualized perspectives on the latest research advancing biomedical science toward better diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of human diseases. It focuses on research at the intersection of basic biology and clinical research, covering new concepts in human biology and pathology with clear implications for diagnostics and therapy. TMM reviews bridge the gap between bench and bedside, discussing research from preclinical studies to patient-enrolled trials. The major themes include disease mechanisms, tools and technologies, diagnostics, and therapeutics, with a preference for articles relevant to multiple themes. TMM serves as a platform for discussion, pushing traditional boundaries and fostering collaboration between scientists and clinicians. The journal seeks to publish provocative and authoritative articles that are also accessible to a broad audience, inspiring new directions in molecular medicine to enhance human health.