Advances in Inner Ear Therapeutics for Hearing Loss in Children.

Purpose of review: Hearing loss is a common congenital sensory disorder with various underlying causes. Here, we review and focus on genetic, infectious, and ototoxic causes and recent advances in inner ear therapeutics. Recent findings: While hearing aids and cochlear implantation are the mainstay of treatment for pediatric hearing loss, novel biological therapeutics are being explored. Recent preclinical studies report positive results in viral-mediated gene transfer techniques and surgical approaches to the inner ear for genetic hearing loss. Novel pharmacologic agents, on the other hand, show promising results in reducing aminoglycoside and cisplatin ototoxicity. Clinical trials are underway to evaluate the efficacy of antivirals for cytomegalovirus-related hearing loss, and its pathogenesis and other potential therapeutics are currently under investigation. Summary: Individualized therapies for genetic and infectious causes of sensorineural hearing loss in animal models as well as pediatric patients show promising results, with their potential efficacy being active areas of research.