New AAV Capsids 2025 Cochlear
Comparative data on AAV capsids for cochlear gene therapy, 2025 publications.
WAC19-1: Peptide-modified AAV1. Three rounds of in vivo directed evolution. Approximately 2 million-fold enrichment over parent capsid. Published in Engineering journal, 2025. This is a serious capsid engineering effort.
AAV-S (from AAV9): About 100% IHC transduction and 50-75% OHC in neonatal mice. Also works in non-human primates. Strong candidate.
AAV9-PHP.eB: The capsid used in current Boston STRC work. Only 17% OHC and 21% IHC in adult mice. Bad choice for OHC targeting. If you’re going after stereocilin, you need to reach OHCs. 17% isn’t going to cut it.
Anc80L65: Still the leading candidate for balanced cochlear transduction. 62% OHC and 41% IHC in adult mice. 95% OHC in neonatal mice. The age gap matters: neonatal results don’t predict adult performance.
Magnetic targeting (JARO 2025): AAV tagged with superparamagnetic nanoparticles. Systemic injection plus external magnet over the cochlea. Preliminary rat data only. Interesting concept but very early.
The capsid choice is make-or-break for STRC therapy. OHC transduction efficiency directly determines therapeutic ceiling. Anc80L65 remains the safest bet for adult applications.
Sources: Nature Scientific Reports 2025, Advanced Science 2025.
Connections
- STRC Gene Therapy — capsid selection drives therapy feasibility
- AAV Capsid Database — full capsid reference
- STRC AAV Vector Design — vector design depends on capsid choice
- Prestin and OHC Electromotility — OHC biology context
- STRC Anti-AAV Immune Response Model — capsid choice affects immunogenicity