By Yishane Lee
The Association for Research in Otolaryngology MidWinter Meeting (ARO) is the preeminent research conference for the hearing and balance fields, and as its name implies is held in the middle of the winter, usually in a warm climate—this year in Anaheim, California. While the atmospheric rivers obscured the expected sunny Southern California skies, vistas were brighter inside the conference hall itself.
Palpable excitement was raised by reports from researchers who have recently published results of landmark gene therapy trials in young children targeting the otoferlin gene. These trials have so far have shown astounding success in reversing the profound congenital hearing loss (a loss of over 95 decibels) in multiple clinical trials around the world—with results mainly in China but also now in the U.S., Taiwan, and with additional trials starting in Europe.
One attendee recalls her mother describing a conference in the 1960s when cochlear implant technology was introduced—and the shared recognition that it would revolutionize access to hearing. “This feels like the same thing.”
The crowd was standing room only at the gene therapy symposium.
Hearing Health Foundation is thrilled with these developments in targeted gene therapy as well as the success delivering the gene therapy to the ear through AAV (adeno-associated virus, a viral vector technology that can be engineered for very specific functionality in gene therapy).
Many questions remain about the long-term efficacy, treatments of larger and younger sample sizes, and whether hearing aid use may still be needed in ears that now have a 45 dB loss (moderate). There are also questions about how to apply these findings to patients who, unlike those with otoferlin-caused hearing loss, have damaged hair cells. Nonetheless this is a game-changer in the field. We are excited to see next steps.
And we are also very proud to note that several of our Emerging Research Grants scientists are involved with these groundbreaking findings. John Germiller, M.D., led the research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (well summarized by The New York Times), and Zheng-Yi Chen, D.Phil., helped design the China studies. Jason Riggs, Ph.D., Au.D., and Renjie Chai, Ph.D., were listed as part of the teams as well.
That standing-room-only symposium on these trials kicked off ARO and provided much food for thought among the roughly 1,800 researchers who attended from around the world. The conference is always gratifying because it demonstrates the breadth and ongoing reach and important work of our Hearing Restoration Project (HRP) and ERG scientists as they present their posters, speak on panels, and lead discussions.
Congratulations also to longtime Board of Directors member Judy Dubno, Ph.D., for earning ARO’s Award of Merit this year. According to ARO, “The award recognizes an individual who has made substantial scientific achievements in and contributions to the fields encompassed by otolaryngology.”
Here are just some of the current and former grantees we saw who attended—we look forward to seeing everyone again next year!
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I wanted to create a story that not only celebrated the beauty of differences but also conveyed the importance of empathy and understanding. My heart was set on crafting a tale that could empower children with hearing loss while also educating their peers about the significance of inclusivity.