A cohort study conducted at a tertiary hospital in China involving 72 children with congenital deafness due to OTOF gene variants revealed that gene therapy yielded faster improvements in hearing and speech compared to cochlear implants. The study, spanning from December 2022 to November 2024, found that children receiving gene therapy showed better auditory integration and processing at 6 and 12 months, despite cochlear implants resulting in better hearing thresholds overall. The findings highlight the potential of gene therapy as a groundbreaking intervention for specific genetic causes of deafness.