Coined by industry as the only meeting of its kind and uniquely positioned to share fresh ideas and assess viable approaches to your most pressing preclinical, translational, and clinical bottlenecks, the 5th Inner Ear Disorders Summit returns as a forum to benchmark learnings from past failures, reignite momentum and develop investment into the audiology therapeutic landscape.
With pioneering insights from Regeneron, Biogen, Acousia, Rinri, Ting Therapeutics, Lineage Cell Therapeutics, and more, this will be an opportunity to:
- Advance preclinical models to recapitulate complex human inner ear pathophysiology
- Deepen knowledge of molecular and genetic pathways with our deep dive drug delivery workshops
- Evaluate clinical progress in gene therapy for restored hearing and decipher the journey to success in Phase III populations
- Overcome translational challenges of bringing advanced therapies, including small molecule and cell-based approaches, to the clinic
- Uncover opportunities for drug-device combinations to enable precise drug delivery and enhance the hearing preservation capabilities of cochlear implants
- Hear large pharma and investor perspectives on what must be demonstrated to de-risk business opportunities within the hearing disorders space.
Join this forum of biotech innovators, pharma stakeholders, investors and leading academics in a collaborative atmosphere to advance audiology R&D through cell, gene and small molecule therapies to transform the treatment of hearing loss.
The 5th Inner Ear Disorders Therapeutics Summit 2025 is the industry's must-attend event tackling challenges in hearing loss treatment R&D.
For the full Event Guide and booking details, see:
https://inner-ear-disorders-therapeutics.com
Book now for final early bird savings of up to $300.
ENT & Audiology News readers are entitled to a 10% discount with the code: ENT10
Dr Simon Chandler, CEO, Rinri Therapeutics, Sheffield, UK
Attending the 5th Inner Ear Disorders Therapeutics Summit in Boston was both energising and thought-provoking. Hosted by Hanson Wade and chaired with calm authority by Jonas Dyhrfjeld-Johansen (Acousia Therapeutics), the meeting brought together a passionate and highly engaged community working at the forefront of hearing loss therapeutics.
With a punchy title – ‘Propel Novel Advancements in Genetic, Small Molecule & Cell-Based Therapeutics to Reignite Momentum in Hearing Loss Therapeutic Development’ – the conference set high expectations for an excellent couple of days. I’m pleased to say that my expectations were not disappointed. There was a palpable sense that the field is shifting, finally, into a translational phase. We heard exciting updates on gene therapies targeting rare forms of hearing loss, such as otoferlin deficiency, and celebrated the NICE reimbursement of Fennec’s Pedmark as a milestone in moving treatments from bench to bedside. These are huge wins, but also a reminder that rare genetic forms represent only a fraction of the global hearing loss burden.
The real energy, though, came from discussions around what’s next – especially for the much larger population affected by acquired sensorineural hearing loss. Regenerative cell therapies were a hot topic, offering real hope. But a clear message emerged: the future is multimodal. Devices, gene therapy, cell therapy, small molecules – all will have a place, and tailoring solutions to specific hearing pathologies will be critical.
I was particularly struck by the focus on translational rigour. The need for better alignment between preclinical models and human pathology came up repeatedly. 
Outside the formal agenda, lively conversations continued over coffee and dinner. There was enthusiasm, but also realism: drug delivery remains a challenge, the cochlea remains stubbornly inaccessible and regulatory clarity around drug-device combinations is still lacking.
Finally, I appreciated the broader framing of hearing loss as a healthy aging issue – with potential parallels to the momentum we’re seeing in obesity and GLP-1 therapeutics. This, combined with a renewed call for unified global patient advocacy, left me feeling hopeful and motivated.
