Q&A with Dr. Xiaoshu Pan: Delivering Gene Therapies for Hearing Loss

Genetics play a role in about 50% of all cases of hearing loss. While there are currently no cures for inherited deafness, gene therapy has shown promise for restoring hearing by targeting genetic mutations causing deafness.

Xiaoshu Pan, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Florida, received a 2024 PhRMA Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Drug Delivery for her research to develop methods for the safe and effective delivery of gene therapies to the inner ear to treat deafness.

Pan seeks to create a better system for loading drugs into nanoparticles called extracellular vesicles that can transport treatments to the ear. She is also working on a method to track these nanoparticles to ensure the treatments are getting to the correct location in the body.

Watch this video to learn more about Pan and her research.

“We hope that this technology could greatly enhance the effectiveness of treatments for genetic hearing loss and pave the way for their use in clinical settings in the future,” Pan said.

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