According to new research, a single shot of a breakthrough of gene therapy could reverse hearing loss in people within a few weeks.
Advanced therapy improved hearing in children and adults with congenital deafness or serious hearing disorders, with a 7-year-old who recovers almost full hearing in a clinical study, said researchers from the Sweden Karolinska Institutet.
The clinical study, detailed in the magazine Nature Medicineshowed that a healthy copy of the otof gene injected into the inner ear improved the hearing of all 10 participants.
The small -scale study included people who had caused a genetic form of deafness or serious hearing disorders caused by mutations in a gene called otof.
These mutations cause a deficiency of the Otoflin protein, which plays a key role in transferring sound signals from the ear to the brain.
Although the therapy seemed to work best in children, researchers said, it could also benefit adults.
Representative. A single puncture of a breakthrough gene therapy could be heard loss within a few weeks (AFP via Getty)
In the test, a synthetic, harmless version of the adeno-associated virus was used to deliver a good functional otof gene to the instruction via a single injection.
The effects of therapy were clear in most patients, whose hearing recovered quickly after just a month.
After six months, researchers noticed a considerable hearing improvement among all participants, with their average volume of perceptible sound that improves from 106 decibels to 52.
Those between the ages of five and eight responded best to the treatment, according to the study.
A seven -year -old girl quickly recovered almost all her hearing, and she was able to have daily conversations with her mother four months later.
“This is the first time that the method has been tested for teenagers and adults,” said Maoli Duan, an author of the study by Karolinska Institutet.
“The hearing was greatly improved in many of the participants, which can have an in -depth effect on their quality of life. We will now follow these patients to see how long the effect is.”
Researchers also discovered that the treatment was driven safely and well. Participants did not report serious side effects in the follow-up period of 6-12 months.
The most common reaction was a reduction in the number of neutrophiles of the immune system, a type of white blood cell.
“Otof is just the beginning,” said Dr. Duan, adding that researchers were working on other common genes behind deafness such as GJB2 and TMC1.
“These are more complicated to treat, but so far animal studies have returned promising results. We are convinced that patients with different types of genetic deafness will be able to get treatment in one day.”
