Hearing loss is a severe public health issue affecting a large portion of the population with limited option for treatment. The primary goal of the Chen Laboratory is to develop new treatments for hearing loss.

Hearing loss can be caused by genetic factors (e.g. gene mutations), environmental factors (noise and ototoxic drugs) and aging. Different treatment strategies are required for each type of hearing loss. The Chen Lab’s research is focused on the following areas:

1. Gene therapy to treat genetic hearing loss. We have developed CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing to treat mouse models of human genetic hearing loss. We are developing treatment for pig models of human genetic deafness with the aim to move the work to clinic.
2. Inner ear cell regeneration. We have developed ways to regenerate inner ear cells including hair cells, the inner ear sensory cells, in adult animals. As hair cell damage is one of the most common causes of hearing loss, we are working on using hair cell regeneration to restore hearing.
3. Gene therapy to treat age-related hearing loss. The mechanism underlying age-related hearing loss is poorly understood. Our work has shown that it is possible to use gene therapy to treat some forms of age-related hearing loss in animal models. We are developing virus mediated gene therapy to treat age-related hearing loss.
4. Development of pig models for human deafness. We are applying genome editing approaches to generate pig models for human deafness. Pigs will serve as valuable models to develop treatment for hearing loss applicable to patients.