Gene therapy involves delivering a normal copy of a mutated gene that is behind a particular condition nobeastsofierce/Shutterstock Five children in China who were born deaf can now hear with both ears after getting to provide a normal copy of a mutated gene. The degree of hearing varies from child to child, but all can now hear voices at a conversational volume and locate the source of sounds. Six months after treatment, the five children’s hearing was around 50 to 60 per cent of normal levels, says team member at the Mass Eye and Ear hospital in Boston.
“When we whisper, they have a difficult time, but normal conversation is fine,” he says. “We’re very happy.” In the first part of this trial, which began in 2022, the team gave a separate group of six children in China therapy in one ear only.
Five of the six gained hearing in the treated ear and are still continuously improving, says Chen. Advertisement Read more The team expects the second group of five children to see further gains too. “What we see now is not the peak of the improvement,” says Chen.
“We expect it to improve further.” The trial in China is the first of several getting under way around the world, and one in the US also reported to have gained hearing in one ear after receiving gene therapy. Get the most essential health and fitness news in your inbox every Saturday.
“The trials are all broadly similar,” says at the University of Cambridge, who treated the two children in the UK. All.
