The first clinical trial to administer gene therapy to both ears in one person has restored hearing function to 5 children born with a form of inherited deafness, astounding the research team. “The results from these studies are astounding,” says study co-senior author Zheng-Yi Chen, an associate scientist in the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories at Massachusetts Eye and Ear in the US. “We continue to see the hearing ability of treated children dramatically progress and the new study shows added benefits of the gene therapy when administrated to both ears, including the ability for sound source localisation and improvements in speech recognition in noisy environments.” “Lead author Yilai Shu, an attending doctor in otolaryngology and an investigator at Eye and Ear, Nose, Throat hospital of Fudan University, China, says:”restoring hearing in both ears of children who are born deaf can maximise the benefits of hearing recovery.

Source: Gene therapy restores hearing to children with inherited deafness