Sonothera's Ultrasound Gene Therapy Claims Draw Expert Doubt

Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- Sonothera has spent the last year claiming its ultrasound-based technology could treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy and potentially a wider range of genetic diseases.
- Sonothera has presented only animal data so far and has no clinical results yet, according to the report.
- Eric Olson, molecular biology chair at UT-Southwestern Medical Center, said of the preclinical findings: "I find it hard to believe."
- Jeffrey Chamberlain, a longtime Duchenne gene therapy expert at the University of Washington, said Sonothera's claims "seem a bit too good to be true."
Why it matters: Two of the field's most established Duchenne researchers publicly expressing disbelief raises the evidentiary bar Sonothera must clear before its ultrasound approach enters clinical credibility — and without human data, the startup's sweeping claims about treating multiple genetic diseases remain entirely unverified.




