h09 — Horizontal Top Connector hydrogel hypothesis
Core claim. A self-assembling peptide hydrogel (RADA16 class or hybrid) introduced trans-round-window could restore mechanical coupling between adjacent stereocilia, substituting for missing stereocilin HTCs. Independent of gene or protein delivery.
Advantages if workable.
- Allele-agnostic (all DFNB16 patients)
- Adult window open (no dependence on transcription / protein synthesis)
- Synthetic; stable manufacturing
- Oral/topical precedent exists for small-molecule inner-ear delivery, similar rules may apply to small peptides
Risks.
- Specificity of deposition (needs to land on HTCs, not everywhere)
- Durability vs Actin Treadmilling Stereocilia
- Biocompatibility in cochlear environment
Phase tree. See index.
Connections
[part-of]index[see-also]STRC Hydrogel HTC Phase 1 Self-Assembly[see-also]STRC Synthetic Peptide Hydrogel HTC