We are a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to discovering and developing transformative treatments for hearing and balance disorders, one of the largest areas of unmet need in medicine. We aim to restore and improve hearing and balance through the restoration and regeneration of functional hair cells and non-sensory support cells within the inner ear. We have built a proprietary platform that integrates single-cell genomics and bioinformatics analyses, precision gene therapy technologies and our expertise in inner ear biology. We are leveraging our platform to advance our pipeline of preclinical gene therapy programs that are designed to selectively replace genes for the treatment of congenital, monogenic hearing loss and to regenerate inner ear hair cells for the treatment of acquired hearing and balance disorders. We are developing our lead gene therapy product candidate, DB-OTO, to provide hearing to individuals born with profound hearing loss due to mutation of the otoferlin, or OTOF, gene. We are also advancing DB-ATO, our gene therapy program designed to restore balance in patients with bilateral vestibulopathy, or BVP, by regenerating lost hair cells within the inner ear. In addition to our gene therapy programs, we are developing DB-020 for the prevention of cisplatin-induced hearing loss, which we are currently evaluating in patients in a Phase 1b clinical trial.

We are focused on both hearing loss and balance disorders due to their widespread impact and shared biology. Hearing loss is one of the largest areas of unmet need in medicine and affects approximately 466 million people worldwide, including 48 million people in the United States. Hearing loss can significantly impact mental health, cognition and language development. Beyond hearing loss, dysfunction of the inner ear can lead to severe impairments in balance. Approximately eight million people in the United States report chronic balance problems, which can lead to significant life impairment and an increased risk of falls, potentially resulting in hospitalization, limited mobility and depression. Despite these impacts, there are no approved therapies for the treatment of hearing loss or balance disorders.

Decibel Therapeutics reported a net loss of $26.5 million for the nine months ended Sept. 30, 2020, the prospectus says. For the full year ended Dec. 31, 2019, the company reported a net loss of $42.7 million, according to the prospectus.

(Note: Decibel Therapeutics upsized its IPO by 26.9 percent at pricing by selling 7.06 million shares, up from 5.89 million, priced at $18, the top of the $16-to-$18 range, to raise $127.08 million.)