Decibel Therapeutics

What Decibel Therapeutics does

Decibel Therapeutics was a clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, focused on discovering and developing gene therapies to protect, repair, and restore hearing. The company's core asset was Otarmeni (DB-OTO), a dual-vector adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy that delivers a functional copy of the otoferlin gene directly into inner ear cells, enabling treatment of OTOF-related congenital deafness. The proprietary dual-vector approach was developed in collaboration with Columbia University researchers and overcomes the ~4.7 kb size limitation of standard AAV vectors by splitting the ~6 kb otoferlin gene across two viral vectors that reassemble functional protein in target cells. The Phase 1/2 CHORD trial demonstrated 80% of evaluable patients (16 of 20) achieving hearing improvements by week 24, with 9 of 12 core cohort patients discontinuing cochlear implants post-treatment and zero serious adverse events attributed to the therapy; results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In September 2023, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals acquired Decibel for $109 million, integrating the DB-OTO program into its Genetic Medicines Center. Otarmeni received FDA accelerated approval in April 2026 as the first gene therapy for genetic hearing loss. The therapy targets an ultra-rare population of approximately 20-50 newborns diagnosed with OTOF-related hearing loss annually in the US, for whom Regeneron provides the one-time treatment free of charge through a patient assistance program. As an acquired subsidiary within Regeneron, Decibel no longer operates as an independent commercial entity; its strategic value is now expressed through the platform's potential expansion into broader hearing loss indications via secondary programs such as DB-020.

Name

Decibel Therapeutics

Legal name

Decibel Therapeutics

Website

https://decibeltx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Decibel Therapeutics was a clinical-stage hearing biotech that developed Otarmeni (DB-OTO), the first FDA-approved gene therapy for otoferlin-related congenital deafness. Acquired by Regeneron in 2023 for $109 million, it now operates within Regeneron's Genetic Medicines Center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Genetic Medicine / Hearing Loss Therapeutics

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Recombinant Protein Therapeutics (enzymes, hormones, growth factors) (HLAAAAAB)

Keywords

• Gene therapy
• Hearing therapeutics
• Genetic medicine
• Otology treatments
• Aural medicine

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Gene Therapy Commercialization: Regeneron acquired Decibel Therapeutics and is providing Otarmeni free of charge to eligible U.S. patients. The therapy represents proof-of-concept for larger hearing loss indications rather than a traditional revenue-generating product. The company appears to be using this approval for brand positioning on drug pricing and as a platform for future hearing loss treatments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Decibel Therapeutics was a biotechnology company that developed gene therapies to protect, repair, and restore hearing. Its core asset was Otarmeni (DB-OTO), a one-time dual-vector AAV gene therapy that delivers a functional otoferlin gene into inner ear cells to treat otoferlin (OTOF)-related congenital deafness. The therapy received FDA accelerated approval in April 2026 as the first gene therapy approved for genetic hearing loss.

Product overview

Decibel Therapeutics was a biotechnology company focused on developing gene therapies for hearing loss. The company's core product was DB-OTO (branded as Otarmeni), a gene therapy using a dual-vector adeno-associated virus (AAV) approach that splits the oversized otoferlin gene across two viruses to enable functional protein assembly in ear cells. Decibel Therapeutics was acquired by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in 2023 for approximately $109 million, and Otarmeni received FDA accelerated approval in April 2026 as the first gene therapy for genetic hearing loss.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Otarmeni (DB-OTO) A one-time, hospital-administered gene therapy that uses a dual-vector adeno-associated virus (AAV) delivery system to deliver a functional otoferlin gene into inner ear cells of children with OTOF-related congenital deafness, restoring near-normal hearing. It is the first FDA-approved gene therapy for genetic hearing loss and is provided free of charge to eligible U.S. patients through Regeneron.
• DB-020 A pipeline candidate listed in the hearing loss clinical trial pipeline. Specific modality and indication details were not disclosed in the available sources.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of evaluable patients (16 of 20) showed hearing improvements by week 24
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Columbia UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Researchers at Columbia University collaborated with Decibel Therapeutics (later acquired by Regeneron) to develop the first FDA-approved gene therapy for otoferlin-related hearing loss. This collaboration led to the development of the dual-vector gene delivery approach that enabled the therapy's success.
• Regeneron PharmaceuticalscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Regeneron acquired Decibel Therapeutics in September 2023 for $109 million to strengthen its genetic medicine capabilities, particularly for sensory disorders such as genetic hearing loss. The acquisition brought the DB-OTO program into Regeneron's portfolio, which subsequently received FDA approval in April 2026.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Akouos: Akouos (acquired by Eli Lilly in 2022) developed AAV-based gene therapies for genetic hearing loss, including OTOF programs. It is the most directly comparable gene therapy peer in hearing restoration.
• Frequency Therapeutics: Frequency Therapeutics developed small-molecule and cell-therapy approaches to regenerate inner-ear hair cells for sensorineural hearing loss, targeting the same hearing-loss patient category with a different therapeutic modality.
• Otonomy: Otonomy develops therapeutics for ear disorders including hearing loss and tinnitus, representing a direct competitor in clinical-stage hearing-loss drug development.

Emerging players

• Sensorion: Sensorion is a France-based clinical-stage biotech developing gene therapies and small molecules for hearing loss, including OTOF programs, making it a directly comparable emerging gene therapy peer.
• Pipeline Therapeutics: Pipeline Therapeutics focuses on synaptic regeneration for hearing loss and balance disorders, representing an adjacent emerging approach in the same clinical category.

Broad incumbents

• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals: Regeneron is Decibel's acquirer and parent company. It is a broad incumbent in biotech with a growing genetic medicines platform; comparable as the strategic steward of the DB-OTO/Otarmeni program.
• Eli Lilly: Eli Lilly acquired Akouos in 2022 to enter the genetic hearing-loss gene therapy space, making it a broad incumbent directly competing with Regeneron/Decibel in the same therapeutic category.

Others

• Cochlear Limited: Cochlear Limited is the leading cochlear implant manufacturer. While not a drug developer, it represents the standard-of-care alternative that gene therapies like Otarmeni aim to replace for eligible patients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/decibeltx
• Facebookfacebook.com/1269480783136113
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/decibel-therapeutics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors16 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Decibel Therapeutics