"Gene Therapy Restores Hearing in Deaf Children: Breakthrough Treatment Success"

Six children with hereditary deafness in China have regained their hearing after receiving a gene therapy trial, with five of them now able to hear after being born with a mutation in a gene that makes a protein needed for hearing called otoferlin. The treatment involves injecting a working version of the otoferlin gene into the inner ear, allowing the cells to produce the necessary protein. While the therapy did not restore "normal" hearing, the children went from not hearing anything to perceiving sounds at a conversational level. Researchers are hopeful that the therapy will provide a natural sense of hearing and plan to expand the trial to more patients to assess the long-term outcomes.