AAV-mediated Inner ear gene delivery triggers mild host immune responses in the mammalian inner ear

Hearing loss is a common disability affecting the world’s population.
However, its treatment options are limited. More recently,
adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated inner ear gene therapy has shown
great promise as a treatment for hereditary hearing loss. However, the
host immune responses to AAV-mediated gene therapy in the mammalian inner
ear are not well understood. In this study, two serotypes of AAV vectors
were injected individually into the mouse inner ear to evaluate the host
innate and adaptive immune responses up to one month after inner ear gene
delivery. Our results suggest that the host innate and adaptive immune
responses to AAV-mediated inner ear gene delivery are limited and mild,
which is favorable for its clinical translation.