Gene Treatment for Deafness?

One of the contributory causes to age-related hearing loss is the loss of tiny hair cells in the organ of Corti, which is located in the ear's cochlea. As people age, the ability to hear clearly diminishes as these cells die off. The cells are also lost if a person is exposed to loud noises for a protracted period of time.

Knowing this provides an obvious direction for scientific studies. If these cells could be re-grown then hearing could be restored. And scientists at the Oregon Health and Science University have just done that by producing auditory hair cells in the cochlea of the mouse inner ear.

The cells increased in number after the introduction of a gene called Atoh 1. It was transferred into the developing inner ears of mice along with a florescent protein (GFP) that makes jellyfish glow. GFP was used to determine where Atoh 1 was being expressed.

The introduction of Atoh 1 resulted in expression of the gene inside the organ of Corti, which is where the hair cells form. As a result, many more hair cells were formed.

The scientists were able to show that Atoh 1 expression leads to the development of auditory hair cells. What is unknown at this stage is whether transfer of the Atoh 1 into the ears of deaf mice will restore hearing. That awaits the next round of research. However, this is an important step on the road to ultimately developing a gene based therapy for deafness.