Gene Therapy for Hearing Impairment
Prof. Reisinger’s research group focuses on the physiology and pathophysiology of the inner ear. Specifically, the group is interested in deciphering the mechanisms behind genetic hearing loss. As such, the group studied the protein otoferlin, which is required for synaptic transmission from the auditory sensory cell. For the form of deafness caused by mutations in the underlying gene OTOF, they designed a gene therapy using two adeno-associated viruses, a so-called “Dual-AAV” approach. The ultimate goal is to develop gene therapeutic approaches for more forms of inherited hearing loss.
