ISCT 2021 | The potential of vesicular secretome fraction in hearing loss

Eva Rohde, MD, Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria, describes ongoing research evaluating the therapeutic potential of the vesicular secretome fraction (VSF) in hearing loss. A single patient with Meniere’s disease, a condition of the inner ear, received a co-injection of VSF in one ear during surgical cochlear implantation, which resulted in a slight improvement in cochlear electrode function and no short- or long-term adverse events. The initiation of a Phase I safety clinical trial is pending, depending on the outcomes of ongoing pre-clinical safety testing, including biodistribution and toxicology assays. This interview took place during the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) Annual Meeting 2021.