A gene therapy for a type of genetic deafness has already been tested in people aged 1 to 24. The best results were seen in children aged 5 to 8. (Image credit: Capuski/Getty Images)
Up to 3 in 1,000 newborns experience hearing loss in one or both ears. Although cochlear implants offer great promise for these children, they are invasive and cannot fully replicate the subtleties of natural hearing.
However, recent research by me and my colleagues has demonstrated that a form of gene therapy can effectively restore hearing in infants and young adults who were born with congenital deafness.
Our study focused on children and young adults born with OTOF-related deafness. This condition is caused by mutations in the OTOF gene, which codes for the protein otoferlin, a protein vital for hearing.
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