By Gavin Haines
鈥楲ife-changing鈥 gene therapy helps deaf people to hear
People born with genetic hearing loss have until now had to quietly accept their lot, but 鈥渓ife-changing鈥 advances in gene therapy are now rewriting the script.
A study published this week reveals how developments in gene therapy are providing a 鈥渉uge step forward鈥 in the genetic treatment of deafness.
The study followed 10 patients who received the therapy to treat a genetic form of deafness caused by mutations in a gene called OTOF. The patients, aged between one and 24, received a functioning version of the OTOF through a single injection in the inner ear.
Within six months, most had recovered some of their hearing, with the average volume of perceptible sound improving from 106 decibels to 52. One participant, a seven-year-old girl, recovered almost all her hearing and could hold conversations within four months, researchers said.
鈥淭his is a huge step forward in the genetic treatment of deafness, one that can be life-changing for children and adults,鈥 said study author Maoli Duan, a consultant at Sweden鈥檚 Karolinska Institutet. 鈥淥TOF is just the beginning. We and other researchers are expanding our work to other, more common genes that cause deafness.鈥
Image: cottonbro studio