News Genetics

Gene therapy restores hearing in mice

Injected virus may someday treat a hereditary form of human deafness

gene therapy restores sound-sensing cells

SAVING CELLS   A mutation causes sound-sensing cells (bright green) to die off quickly in deaf mice, but gene therapy can rescue these cells (right) in mice given a virus that delivers a working gene. Two inner ear locations are shown. 

C. Askew et al/Science Translational Medicine 2015

By Sarah Schwartz

- More than 2 years ago

In a possible step toward treating genetic human deafness, scientists have used gene therapy to partially restore hearing in deaf mice.