Maoli Duan leads Karolinska study restoring hearing in OTOF-related deafness
Big news for the hearing loss community: scientists have managed to restore hearing in people born deaf due to a faulty OTOF gene, using gene therapy.
In a study led by Maoli Duan at the Karolinska Institute, 10 participants (ages one to 24) received a single injection in their inner ear, and some started recognizing speech within weeks later.
Hearing thresholds 106 to 52 dB
Younger kids saw the fastest improvements, but everyone benefited: average hearing thresholds improved dramatically, from 106 decibels down to 52 decibels.
Instead of just helping people cope like cochlear implants do, this approach actually targets the root cause by delivering a healthy gene directly into the cochlea.
The researchers say this could be a real step toward restoring natural hearing for those with genetic deafness.