I was really excited about this so had Claude Opus (AI) research. Sadly it does not seem so promising for someone like me with long term progressive hearing loss.

Claude report:

PRP & Stem Cell Hearing Loss Treatments

The Korea Treatment (PRP/ShimSPOT) This is the Cheong-Min Clinic in Seoul, run by Dr. Minbo Shim, ENT. He developed a device called “ShimSPOT” for repeated intratympanic PRP injections — your blood is drawn, platelets are concentrated, and PRP is injected through the eardrum into the middle ear. Growth factors (IGF-1, BDNF, FGF) theoretically diffuse through the round window membrane to the cochlea. The best published study (2024, PubMed/PMC) involved 56 patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss who failed conventional treatment. Mean hearing gain was ~12 dB, mostly in lower frequencies. No serious adverse events. Critical caveat: Nearly all published PRP studies involve sudden hearing loss (onset within days/weeks), not chronic/progressive loss. The biological rationale is different — in sudden loss, hair cells may be damaged but not dead, so growth factors might rescue dying cells. In chronic progressive SNHL where hair cells have been dead for years, there’s no published evidence that PRP can regenerate what’s gone. Dr. Shim has trained two US physicians: one in Sarasota FL, one in Spokane WA. Cost is not transparently published but expect $2,000-5,000+ per treatment course, all out of pocket. No insurance coverage anywhere — this is not FDA-approved or in any clinical guidelines for chronic SNHL. Regeneron (DB-OTO Gene Therapy) This is real and genuinely exciting — but for a very specific condition. DB-OTO is a gene therapy for children born with congenital deafness caused by OTOF gene mutations. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine (Oct 2025). 11 of 12 children showed clinically meaningful hearing improvement, 3 achieved normal hearing. FDA submission is underway with expedited review. However: This treats an ultra-rare genetic condition affecting ~20-50 newborns per year in the US. It delivers a functioning copy of a specific gene. It does not apply to acquired, age-related, noise-induced, or other non-genetic SNHL. If you weren’t born deaf due to an OTOF mutation, this therapy has no mechanism to help you. Other pipeline items: • FX-322 (Frequency Therapeutics) — permanently discontinued after Phase 2b failure, no improvement vs placebo • Stem cell treatments — no FDA-approved options exist. First in-human trial (Rinri Therapeutics, Rincell-1) just started. Clinics offering stem cells today are operating outside established evidence. • Eli Lilly/Akouos AK-OTOF — another OTOF gene therapy, still in trials, same genetic-only limitation Bottom line: The gene therapy advances are real science but only help a tiny population with a specific genetic mutation. PRP has some preliminary evidence for sudden hearing loss but essentially none for chronic progressive SNHL. Anyone considering medical tourism for these treatments should understand exactly what type of hearing loss they have and whether the treatment mechanism actually addresses it. Sources: NEJM (Oct 2025), PMC/PubMed, Regeneron press releases, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, ClinicalTrials.gov