Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – January 7, 2021 – Health
Scientists have introduced a new method that will help deaf and hard of hearing people. It will potentially be useful to half a billion people worldwide.
Researchers from Tel Aviv University presented an innovative treatment for deafness, which is based on the delivery of genetic material to the cells of the inner ear. Genetic material replaces a defect and allows cells to continue to function normally.
The researchers were able to prevent the gradual deterioration of hearing in mice that had the mutation. They argue that the new therapy could lead to a breakthrough in the treatment of children born with various mutations that eventually cause deafness.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about half a billion people worldwide have hearing problems. Researchers expect this figure to double in the coming decades. In this case, every two hundredth children are born with poor hearing, and every thousandth – deaf. About half of these cases of deafness are caused by a genetic mutation.
“In this study, we focused on genetic deafness caused by a mutation in the SYNE4 gene, a rare form of the disorder that our lab found in two families. The mutation causes mycocalization of cell nuclei in the hair cells inside the cochlea of the inner ear, which serve as receptors for sound waves and are necessary for hearing. This defect leads to degeneration and, ultimately, to the death of hair cells. Our method will help to cope with it ” – scientists noted
