ISLAMABAD: The researchers have successfully restored hearing in children born deaf, using just a single gene therapy injection. The revolutionary treatment has shown promising results in both children and adults suffering from severe hearing loss due to a rare genetic mutation.
According to a study published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine, the research was conducted through collaboration between Chinese universities, hospitals, and U.S. experts.
The study focused on a rare genetic defect in the OTOF gene, which prevents the body from producing a key protein called otoferlin. This protein plays a crucial role in transmitting sound signals from the ear to the brain.
Doctors used an engineered virus known as AAV (Adeno-Associated Virus) to deliver a healthy copy of the OTOF gene directly into the inner ear. The treatment was administered to ten patients aged between 1 and 24 years, all of whom suffered from severe hearing loss due to the same genetic mutation.
Remarkably, most participants began to show improved hearing within a month. After six months, all ten showed significant progress. On average, their hearing thresholds improved from 106 decibels to just 52 decibels, allowing them to hear much softer sounds.
The most dramatic improvements were observed in younger children, especially those between 5 to 8 years old. One 7-year-old girl regained almost normal hearing within four months and is now able to communicate verbally with her mother for the first time.
The study also confirmed that adults responded positively to the treatment, marking it as potentially effective across a broad age range.
Doctors have described the therapy as safe so far, with no serious side effects reported. Researchers are now working to expand the treatment to cover other types of genetic hearing loss.
This innovation brings fresh hope to millions of people worldwide affected by deafness. Experts believe this marks the beginning of a new era in treating not just inherited hearing disorders, but possibly even other forms of hearing loss in the future.
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Just last month, a similar gene therapy restored hearing in a young girl in the UK. British researcher Professor Manohar Bance hailed the breakthrough as the “start of a new chapter in deafness treatment.”
