Israeli Scientists Make Possible Breakthrough For Children Who Have Genes Causing Deafness

Israeli scientists have created a new breakthrough treatment that may prevent children born with genetic mutations that cause deafness from losing their hearing.

The study from Tel Aviv University (TAU), Prof. Karen Avraham of the Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sagol School of Neuroscience, found that by injecting a synthetic virus into mice that carried a normal version of the defective gene found in affected humans, the defect was fixed.  One of Avraham’s students, Shahar Taiber, explained, “We injected the virus into the inner ear of the mice, so that it entered the hair cells and released its genetic payload. By so doing, we repaired the defect in the hair cells and enabled them to mature and function normally.”