OBJECTIVES: To explore the causal relationship between 731 immune cell phenotypes and Ménière's disease (MD) using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis and experimental validation in mice.
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
No actionable change to clinical practice at this stage; the study provides preliminary causal evidence implicating specific immune cell phenotypes in Ménière's disease pathogenesis, which may inform future therapeutic targets but requires replication and mechanistic follow-up.
Identifying immune cell phenotypes causally linked to Ménière's disease could open new immunological treatment avenues for a condition that currently lacks disease-modifying therapies.
- 01Bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization tested causal links between 731 immune cell phenotypes and Ménière's disease.
- 02Mouse validation experiments were conducted to support the genetic findings.
- 03Both directions were tested: immune cells as cause of, and consequence of, Ménière's disease.
- 04Mendelian randomization reduces confounding compared to standard observational studies.
- 05Results are hypothesis-generating; clinical translation requires further mechanistic and interventional research.
Specific immune cell phenotypes have a causal association with Ménière's disease.
studypartially supportedMouse model validation supports the causal immune-Ménière's disease relationships identified by Mendelian randomization.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42486835
- DOI
- 10.12122/j.issn.1673-4254.2026.07.20.
- Journal
- Journal of Southern Medical University
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Genetic summary-level data (human GWAS) plus mouse model validation for Ménière's disease
- Intervention
- Bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization across 731 immune cell phenotypes
- Comparator
- Bidirectional analysis (Ménière's disease as both outcome and exposure)
Primary outcomes
Causal associations between immune cell phenotypes and Ménière's disease risk; Validation of identified immune cell associations in a mouse model