Precigen Inc. (PGEN)

[Oxonius]

A reminder of the GenVec days:

Researchers Look to Reverse Hearing Loss With Regenerative Hair Therapy

Over 5% of the world’s population is affected by disabling hearing loss, a condition that is largely irreversible. One biotech company, Frequency Therapeutics, has set out to change that. The company’s scientists have found a way to help hair cells in the ear regenerate, in turn increasing a patient’s ability to hear. “[Hearing] connects people to their community and cultivates a sense of identity,” said one of the founders, Jeff Karp. “I think the potential to restore hearing will have enormous impact on society.”

So far, they have treated more than 200 patients during three clinical trials and are gearing up for another one with 124 people. Karp said he hopes this innovation will eventually make reversing hearing loss a simple, fast, and accessible procedure. Co-founder Robert Langer added: “Some of these people [in the trials] couldn’t hear for 30 years, and for the first time they said they could go into a crowded restaurant and hear what their children were saying. It’s so meaningful to them.”