New Study shows possible cure for Hereditary Deafness
Published: August 1, 2005
Scientists from the University of Iowa and researchers from Okayama University in Japan have shown a potential method to cure a type of hereditary deafness by stopping the gene that causes the hearing loss.
Richard Smith, M.D. research Professor in Otolaryngology at University of Iowa said, “We gave a genetically-deafened mouse interfering RNA that specifically prevents a gene from being expressed that would otherwise cause deafness.
By preventing its expression, we prevented the deafness. Even though this is in the early stages, it is really exciting because it points to other options for people who have hearing loss other than hearing aids or cochlear implants.”
The way that the hearing loss is prevented is with a technique called RNA interference (RNAi). Many of the most common causes of genetic deafness will not be helped by this method of blocking the gene causing the damage.
The kind of genetic hearing loss that possibly could be prevented would ones that have a dominant negative genetic function.
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