Gene Therapy Restores Hearing in Children with Inherited Deafness

Despite significant improvements, questions remain about the longevity of the therapy and its ethical implications.

Experimental gene therapy has successfully restored hearing in several children born with inherited deafness, with studies conducted in both China and the United States.
The therapy targets a condition that accounts for 2% to 8% of inherited deafness, caused by mutations in a gene responsible for an inner ear protein called otoferlin.
Children treated with the therapy have shown significant improvements in hearing, with one 11-year-old boy able to hear sounds for the first time.
Despite the success, questions remain about the longevity of the therapy and whether hearing will continue to improve in the treated children.
Some consider gene therapy for deafness ethically problematic, as deafness does not cause severe or deadly illness like other conditions targeted by gene therapy.