EVEON and Sensorion to advance delivery of ear gene therapies

The firms will work collaboratively to develop an injection system for the delivery of Sensorion’s gene therapy products for the inner ear.

EVEON, a company that designs and builds custom devices for preparation and administration of advanced therapeutic treatments, has partnered with Sensorion, a biotech firm that focuses on the development of therapies to treat, prevent, and restore hearing loss disorders. Together, they aim to design and advance an injection system to deliver Sensorion’s gene therapies to the inner ear, including its OTOF-GT product candidate.

OTOF-GT aims to restore hearing in individuals living with Otoferlin deficiency. It delivers the Otoferlin protein to the inner ear by using two standard gene therapy adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors and is then assembled in place. The firm is also pursuing a gene therapy program related to mutations in GJB2 gene to try and address hearing loss in adults and children.

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“We are really pleased to have been working with ears nose and throat (ENT) surgeons and EVEON to develop an injection system for the safe and effective delivery of our gene therapy candidates,” said Geraldine Honnet, chief medical officer of Sensorion.

“Our delivery system is intended to allow the delivery of Sensorion’s gene therapy product candidates into the inner ear with the aim of restoring hearing in patients suffering from hereditary monogenic forms of deafness. Effective and safe administration is critical for gene therapies, and we need to ensure an optimal route of injection.”

According to both companies, there are lots of challenges associated with treating genetic hearing loss due to the need for the therapies to be administered into the inner ear, which is small in size and embedded in the temporal bone. Thus, EVEON and Sensorion have been looking into how to optimize the delivery of gene therapies to scale efficiency and improve potential patient experience.

“At EVEON, we are thrilled to be working with Sensorion, a leader in hearing therapeutics,” said Vincent Tempelaere, CEO at EVEON.

“This new project demonstrates the capabilities of our respective technology platforms and enables our teams to work effectively to provide tailor-made solutions for the delivery of new gene therapies.”