Mice Experiments Show Hearing Loss May Be Curbed With Gene Therapy

The latest form of gene therapy, developed to cure hearing loss in mice, has been developed by scientists from Harvard Medical School (HMS) in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital. The treatment shows remarkable advancement in the hearing ability of deaf mice.

According to Harvard Gazette, the new therapy can assess the hair cells in a better way than previous methods. The hair cells are delicate sensors in the inner ear that can capture sound and head movement and transform them into neural signals for hearing and balance. The new treatment also allows the mice to hear the equivalent of a loud conversation, which would be deaf otherwise. It also appears to improve the sense of balance. Researchers say that it has been very difficult with older remedies to treat these hair cells and this method definitely helps in correcting hearing loss.

As per researchers, previous methods of curing hearing loss were partially effective owing to the fact that they reached only one set of hair cells in the inner ear. The other set, equally important and critical for hearing, was left very much unattended. In comparison, the new technique involved the usage of the common adeno-associated virus (AAV), which has been previously used as a gene-delivery vehicle for treating retinal disorders.

According to Public Radio International, the gene therapists transported a harmless virus deep into the mouse ear, containing a gene that has the ability to cure hereditary deafness. The gene was delivered to the outer hair cells that lead to the inner ear receiving sound waves. The outer hair cells amplify sound, which helps the inner ear to send a strong signal to the brain and counter hearing loss. The technique has led to maintain both hearing and balance at a level achieved never before.

However, researchers opine that this particular hearing loss treatment is not yet ready to be used in humans. It is till date developed into a prototypic model, only to be used in mice. According to scientists, it will take at least three years, if not more, to develop a gene deficiency treatment model suitable for humans.

The new treatment for hereditary hearing loss has been considered to be a breakthrough model by the researchers. The results of the study have been published in "Nature Biotechnology".