Akouos and Blueprint Genetics Announce the Resonate Program to Improve Access to Genetic Testing for Individuals with Auditory Neuropathy

• The Resonate program provides access to a potential genetic diagnosis by offering genetic testing at no cost to eligible individuals, their insurance, or their healthcare providers
• A genetic diagnosis may help individuals and their healthcare providers better understand an individual’s condition and foster connections within the deaf and hard of hearing community
• In the future, as novel genetic medicines for disabling hearing loss enter clinical trials, a genetic diagnosis could also help individuals with auditory neuropathy and their healthcare providers determine their potential eligibility​
  

BOSTON, Jan. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Akouos, Inc. (“Akouos”) (NASDAQ: AKUS), a precision genetic medicine company dedicated to developing potential gene therapies for individuals living with disabling hearing loss worldwide, and Blueprint Genetics, a Quest Diagnostics company, today announced the Resonate program. The program offers genetic testing to eligible individuals with auditory neuropathy at no cost to participants, their insurance, or their healthcare providers.

Every year, thousands of children are born with disabling hearing loss and the majority of cases of congenital hearing loss are due to an underlying genetic cause. However, few individuals receive a genetic diagnosis and a key barrier is the availability and accessibility of genetic testing. The Resonate program seeks to overcome the barriers to genetic testing for individuals with auditory neuropathy, empower them to make informed choices, and provide potentially valuable insight to inform medical management.

“Akouos is committed to deepening the community's understanding of the genetic forms of auditory neuropathy, a type of sensorineural hearing loss. Today, there are no pharmacologic therapies approved for the treatment of hearing loss. The development of new therapeutic options for underserved patient populations has become increasingly reliant on identification of the underlying genetic cause of a genetic disease, disorder, or condition,” said Manny Simons, Ph.D., founder, president, and CEO of Akouos. “We hope the Resonate program, along with our efforts to better understand the genetic causes and natural history of multiple forms of sensorineural hearing loss, will enable the research and development of novel genetic medicines​ for individuals with disabling hearing loss.”