Auditory brain changes after inner ear gene therapy in adults who are deaf
Official title: Auditory encoding, perception, and plasticity in the deaf adult brain following inner ear gene therapy
Funded at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary · NIH-11429454 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant tests how an adult with congenital deafness begins to hear after a gene therapy in the inner ear, and how the brain adapts to these new sounds.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | July 10, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $701,848 |
| NIH project number | 1R01DC023999-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11429454 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with congenital hearing loss who could potentially benefit from inner-ear gene therapies and subsequent brain-level processing changes.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without access to gene therapy or with different forms of hearing loss may not experience the same brain changes or benefits.
What this research studies
The project studies how the ear and brain respond when a gene therapy is used to restore hearing in adult mice that were born deaf. Researchers deliver otoferlin gene therapy to the inner ear and monitor hearing ability, brain responses, and behavior over weeks. They combine brain recordings and behavioral tests to see how cortical sound processing emerges despite early deafness and how this informs human therapies. This work could reveal notes on timing, plasticity, and limits of recovering hearing with gene-based approaches.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the research could guide future gene therapies to restore hearing in humans and improve understanding of how the adult brain can adapt to new auditory input.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical studies in deaf mice show rapid cortical responses after gene therapy, suggesting potential for translational progress in humans.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Clayton, Kameron — Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
- Study coordinator: Clayton, Kameron
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.