With the help of gene therapy, scientists were able to restore hearing in mice. They believe that the experiment in humans will give the same positive result, reports BBC.

A group of scientists from the State of Oregon produced a gene modification in cells (germ cells) that are responsible for interpreting sounds in the middle ear region. In people with normal hearing, the germ cells transform sound into electrical signals that are transmitted to the brain as a result. In the case of damage to germ cells, the process is irreversible in a natural way, as reported by the Internet publication for girls and women from 14 to 35 years old Pannochka. Net According to Professor Andy Forge Deafness from the UK, it is too early to talk about the clinical application of this method, but this would be a great achievement, since only in the UK about 9 million people suffer from hearing loss or lack of hearing. Many of them lost their hearing over time due to the loss of germ cells. Regular exposure to hearing by strong noises also results in damage to the germ cells.

American scientists conducted an experiment in mice, during which they found out that under the influence of gene therapy, ordinary cells can be transformed into germ cells. In gene therapy, specialists used a safe virus in order to deliver a copy of the key gene into cells. As a key gene, the Atoh1 gene was used, which participates in the formation of germ cells. The ability to reproduce germ cells is a decisive step in the fight against deafness, which can be used as a method of treating this disease, scientists stressed..

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