AzTrials
AzTrials

Congenital Hearing Loss Secondary to Biallelic Mutations of the Otoferlin Gene (OTOF)Phase 1/2CHORDNCT05788536

A Study of DB-OTO, an Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) Based Gene Therapy, in Children/Infants, Adolescents and Adults With Hearing Loss Due to Otoferlin Mutations

A Phase 1/2 study testing DB-OTO in people with Congenital Hearing Loss Secondary to Biallelic Mutations of the Otoferlin Gene (OTOF), run by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals at 17 sites in 5 countries.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

Regeneron is conducting a study of an investigational new drug called DB-OTO. DB-OTO is a gene therapy that is being developed to treat pediatric and adult participants who have severe-to profound and profound hearing loss due to changes in the otoferlin gene. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Any age
What is being tested?
DB-OTO
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
36 participants
Where
17 sitesin 5 countries
Study dates
27 Jun 2023to 25 Feb 2032
Phase
Phase 1/2
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages Any age
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Willingness to provide written informed consent (by at least one parent/legal guardian for pediatric participants, and with participant to provide assent, when applicable, or by the adult participant) and willingness to comply with trial protocol
  • Willingness to consent to genetic testing for the participant (by at least one parent/legal guardian for pediatric participants, and with participant to provide assent, when applicable, or by the adult participant) in order to evaluate a panel of hearing loss-related genes
  • Willingness to consent to vaccinations for the participant (by at least one parent/legal guardian for pediatric participants, and with participant to provide assent, when applicable, or by the adult participant) in accordance with the country-specific, age-appropriate immunization schedule, as described in the protocol
  • Participant able to perform all necessary assessments to qualify for enrollment and dosing in the corresponding cohort at the time the participant or parent/legal guardian signing the informed consent form (and participant providing assent, when applicable)
  • Presence of biallelic, likely pathogenic or pathogenic OTOF variants
  • No clinically significant laboratory findings on clinical laboratory tests at time of Screening as described in the protocol
Show all 11Show fewer
  • Audiological Criteria:
  • Investigator diagnoses the participant with profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL; >90 dB HL) based on behavioral and physiologic measurements (ABR) of inner ear function
  • Outer hair cell presence is confirmed via presence of otoacoustic emissions (≥6 dBSNR) at ≥3 frequencies from 1 to 8 kHz in the ear(s) to be infused with DB-OTO. Alternatively, for participants >24 months of age, outer hair cell presence can be confirmed via presence of the cochlear microphonic in the ear(s) to be infused with DB-OTO.
  • No evidence from measures of hearing loss that show a dependence on body temperature
  • From study start and for the duration of the short-term follow-up period (48 weeks): Female participants of childbearing potential and fertile males, must agree to use highly effective contraception. Female participants must agree not to become pregnant. Fertile male participants must agree not to father a child or donate sperm, for 48 weeks and in cases of early withdrawal, for at least 12 months after DB-OTO administration.

Who cannot join

  • History of prior treatment with gene therapy
  • Surgical anatomy that would preclude or meaningfully impact the planned surgical approach as indicated by medical imaging (eg, Computed Tomography [CT] or Magnetic Resonance Imaging [MRI]) in the ear(s) to be infused with DB-OTO
  • History or presence of other permanent or untreatable hearing loss conditions
  • Prior or current history of malignancies
  • Prior or current history of meningitis
  • History or presence of cochlear implants in the ear(s) to be infused with DB-OTO
  • History of risk factor(s) for auditory neuropathy not caused by OTOF pathogenic variants including but not limited to: prematurity, low birth weight, hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) admission, and/or low Apgar scores as described in the protocol
  • Note: Other protocol-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria apply

Trial locations and contacts

17 sites in 5 countries. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Clinical Trials Administrator contact

844-734-6643

clinicaltrials@regeneron.com

17 sites in 5 countries

United States9 sites, 9 recruiting
  • Boston Children's Hospital - Main

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02115

    Eliot Shearer, Eliot.Shearer@childrens.harvard.edu

    Recruiting
  • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

    Cincinnati, Ohio, 45229

    John Greinwald, Jr., john.greinwald@cchmc.edu

    Recruiting
  • Nemours Children s Clinic

    Jacksonville, Florida, 32207

    Evie Landry, evie.Landry@nemours.org

    Recruiting
  • University of California Los Angeles Medical Center

    Los Angeles, California, 90024

    Akira Ishiyama, ishiyama@g.ucla.edu

    Recruiting
  • Medical College of Wisconsin

    Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226

    Sarah Mleziva, smleziva@mcw.edu

    Recruiting
  • Columbia University Irving Medical Center

    New York, New York, 10032

    Lawrence Lustig, lustig@columbia.edu

    Recruiting
  • Nemours Childrens Hospital

    Orlando, Florida, 32827

    Cedric Pritchett, cedric.Pritchett@nemours.org

    Recruiting
  • Rady Children's Hospital

    San Diego, California, 92123

    Daniela Carvalho, dcarvalho@rchsd.org

    Recruiting
  • Seattle Children's Hospital

    Seattle, Washington, 98105

    Jay Rubenstein, rubinj@uw.edu

    Recruiting

Other trials in United States

Spain4 sites, 3 recruiting
  • Hospital Sant Joan de Deu

    Barcelona, 08950

    Oliver Haag, oliver.haag@sjd.es

    Recruiting
  • Hospital Universitario Materno Infantil en las Palmas de Gran Canaria

    Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35016

    Withdrawn
  • Ramon y Cajal University Hospital

    Madrid, 28034

    Ruben Polo, rubenpolo1979@gmail.com

    Recruiting
  • Clinica Universidad de Navarra- Pamplona

    Pamplona, Navarre, 31008

    Manuel Jesus Manrique Rodriguez, mmanrique@unav.es

    Recruiting

Other trials in Spain

United Kingdom2 sites, 2 recruiting
  • Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS FT

    Cambridge, CB2 0QQ

    Manohar Bance, mlb59@cam.ac.uk

    Recruiting
  • Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Foundation Trust

    London, WC1N 3JH

    Robert Nash, r.nash@ucl.ac.uk

    Recruiting

Other trials in United Kingdom

Germany1 site, 1 recruiting
  • University Hospital Tubingen

    Tübingen, 72076

    Hubert Lowenheim, hubert.loewenheim@uni-tuebingen.de

    Recruiting

Other trials in Germany

Japan1 site, 1 recruiting
  • Shinshu University Hospital

    Matsumoto-shi, Nagano, 390-8621

    Yutaka Takumi, takumi@shinshu-u.ac.jp

    Recruiting

Other trials in Japan

About this study

Official title: A Phase 1/2, Open-Label, Multicenter Trial With a Single Ascending Dose Cohort With Unilateral Intracochlear Injection Followed by a Bilateral Injection Expansion Cohort to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of DB-OTO in Children and Infants With Biallelic hOTOF Mutations

Regeneron is conducting a study of an investigational new drug called DB-OTO. DB-OTO is a gene therapy that is being developed to treat pediatric and adult participants who have severe-to profound and profound hearing loss due to changes in the otoferlin gene.

The purpose of this study is to:

  • Learn about the safety of DB-OTO
  • Determine how well DB-OTO is tolerated (does not cause ongoing discomfort)
  • Evaluate the efficacy of DB-OTO (how well DB-OTO works)
Read the detailed description

Former Sponsor Decibel Therapeutics

Being tested
DB-OTO
Keywords
DB-OTO, Gene Therapy, Congenital Hearing Loss, Sensorineural Hearing Loss, Auditory Neuropathy, Pediatric, Cochlear Implant, Otoferlin, Deaf, Hard of hearing, Hearing impaired, Hearing disorder, Fully implantable hearing aid, Child, Infant, Adolescents, Young Adults, Adults, CHORD
Medical subject headings
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural, Auditory neuropathy, Deafness, Autosomal Recessive 9, Hearing Loss, Hearing Disorders

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • DB-OTOGenetic

    Also called Otarmeni™, Otoferlin

    Administered per the protocol

Study groups in NCT05788536
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
DB-OTO - Part AExperimentalUnilateral intracochlear dosing
Receives: Genetic: DB-OTO
DB-OTO - Part BExperimentalBilateral intracochlear dosing using the dose selected based on safety and efficacy data from Part A
Receives: Genetic: DB-OTO
DB-OTO - Part CExperimentalUnilateral or bilateral intracochlear dosing
Receives: Genetic: DB-OTO

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Incidence and severity of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs)

    Measured: Up to week 104

  2. Achievement of a hearing sensitivity threshold of ≤70 dB assessed by average Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA)

    Measured: Up to week 104

Secondary outcomes (27)
  1. Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) to click stimulus at ≤90 dB normalized Hearing Level (nHL)

    Measured: Up to week 48

  2. Achievement of hearing sensitivity threshold of ≤45 dB assessed by average PTA

    Measured: Up to week 104

  3. Achievement of hearing sensitivity threshold of ≤25 dB assessed by average PTA

    Measured: Up to week 104

  4. Achievement of a score ≥3 on the Early Speech Perception (ESP) test

    Measured: At week 104

  5. Achievement of a score of 4 on the ESP test

    Measured: At week 104

  6. Speech perception scores by age-appropriate tests

    Measured: Up to week 104

  7. Speech Awareness Threshold (SAT): achievement of a threshold of ≤70 dB

    Measured: Up to week 48

  8. SAT: achievement of a threshold of ≤45 dB

    Measured: Up to week 48

  9. SAT: achievement of threshold of ≤25 dB

    Measured: Up to week 48

  10. Severity in speech perception ability assessed by Global Impression scales (clinician and parent/legal guardian)

    Measured: At week 104

  11. Change in speech perception ability assessed by Global Impression scales (clinician and parent/legal guardian)

    Measured: At week 104

  12. Average PTA threshold in the subset of participants who achieved an average PTA threshold ≤70 dB

    Measured: Up to week 104

  13. Average PTA threshold in the subset of participants who achieved an average PTA threshold >70 dB but ≤85 dB

    Measured: Up to week 48

  14. Achievement of a hearing sensitivity threshold improvement of ≤85 dB HL, as assessed by PTA

    Measured: Up to week 48

  15. Achievement of a hearing sensitivity threshold improvement of ≥10 dB from baseline

    Measured: Up to week 48

  16. Time to an average PTA threshold ≤70 dB

    Measured: Up to week 104

  17. Persistence of an average PTA threshold ≤70 dB

    Measured: Up to week 104

  18. Incidence of participants who regress to >70 dB after having achieved average PTA threshold

    Measured: Up to week 104

  19. Presence of ABR to click at ≤90 dB nHL

    Measured: At week 104

  20. Change from baseline on LittlEARS®

    Measured: At week 104

  21. Change in scores on LittlEARS®

    Measured: At week 104

  22. Change from baseline on Auditory Skills Checklist

    Measured: At week 104

  23. Change in scores on Auditory Skills Checklist

    Measured: At week 104

  24. Change from baseline on MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDI)

    Measured: At week 104

  25. Change in scores on MB-CDI

    Measured: At week 104

  26. Clinical assessments of speech production: articulation

    Measured: At week 104

  27. Clinical assessments of speech production: speech intelligibility

    Measured: At week 104

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted29 Mar 2023
  2. Study start27 Jun 2023
  3. Primary completion26 Feb 2029 (estimated)
  4. Study completion25 Feb 2032 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 1/2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Sequential
Model description
DB-OTO will be administered as a single intracochlear infusion into one ear (Part A), both ears (Part B), one or both ears (Part C). For bilateral infusions (Part B and C), participants will receive DB-OTO in 1 surgical session.
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
36 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05788536
Sponsor's protocol ID
DB-OTO-001
Other IDs
2022-000079-38, 2024-511342-40-00
Acronym
CHORD
Status last verified
Aug 2026
First submitted
15 Mar 2023
Last updated
5 Aug 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: All Individual Patient Data (IPD) that underlie publicly available results will be considered for sharing

Publications

  • Valayannopoulos V, Bance M, Carvalho DS, Greinwald JH Jr, Harvey SA, Ishiyama A, Landry EC, Lowenheim H, Lustig LR, Manrique M, Nash R, Polo R, Pritchett CV, Rubinstein JT, Shearer AE, Del Castillo I, Anderson JJ, Corrales CE, Quigley TM, Riggs WJ, Weber P, Wilson G, Irvin SC, Hassan HE, Chen Y, Liu R, Drummond MC, Sabin LR, Musser BJ, Yancopoulos GD, Kyratsous CA, Herman GA, Baras A, Whitton JP; CHORD Study Group. DB-OTO Gene Therapy for Inherited Deafness. N Engl J Med. 2026 Mar 12;394(11):1074-1083. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2400521. Epub 2025 Oct 12.

    PubMed 41085057

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1/2 study testing DB-OTO in people with Congenital Hearing Loss Secondary to Biallelic Mutations of the Otoferlin Gene (OTOF), run by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals at 17 sites in 5 countries.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 11 inclusion and 8 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Aug 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 17 sites in United States, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this combined phase mean?

Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Clinical Trials Administrator (844-734-6643, clinicaltrials@regeneron.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Incidence and severity of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs) (time frame: Up to week 104). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05788536, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 5 Aug 2026.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in