UK Researchers Identify 44 Genes Tied to Age-Related Hearing Loss, Raising Hope for Future Treatment Options
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — Researchers from King’s College London, and University College London (UCL), have identified 44 genes linked to age-related hearing loss. The study helps shed light and provide a much clearer understanding of how the condition develops, and also potential treatment options in the future. The study, published in The American Journal of…
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Study: Malaria Drug May Help Prevent Common Form of Genetic Hearing Loss
CLEVELAND, OHIO — Our ability to hear depends on proteins to reach the outer membrane of sensory cells in the inner ear (hair cells). But in certain types of hereditary hearing loss, mutations in the protein prevent it from reaching these membranes. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, using a zebrafish model,…
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Sensorion Announces Partnership Framework Agreement with Institut Pasteur on Gene Therapy Programs for Hearing Loss
MONTPELLIER, FRANCE — French biotech firm Sensorion has announced the signature of a research partnership framework agreement with Institut Pasteur (Paris) granting to Sensorion an option to obtain exclusive licenses to develop and market drug candidates in gene therapy coming from collaborative projects, for the restoration, treatment and prevention of hearing disorders. In accordance with…
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Researchers Restore Hearing in Deaf Mice Using Gene Therapy
PARIS, FRANCE — Researchers have announced the successful restoration of hearing in an adult mouse model of DFNB9 deafness — one of the most frequent cases of congenital, genetic deafness. Individuals with DFNB9 deafness are profoundly deaf due to a deficiency in the gene coding for otoferlin, a protein which is essential for transmitting sound…
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University of Miami Receives $3M NIH Grant for Genetic Hearing Loss Research
MIAMI, FLORIDA — The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology has received a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that will fund research related to biological treatments and clinical diagnosis of patients with hearing loss. The grant allows Xue Zhong Liu, M.D., Ph.D., professor of otolaryngology, human…
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Israeli Researchers Get One Step Closer to Unraveling Cause of Human Deafness
As much as 98% of the human genome does not code for protein. RNAs contained in this non-coding part act as regulatory molecules and have a substantial impact on gene expression. One type of these RNA molecules, called long non-coding RNAs, has been linked to a wide range of diseases and inheritable conditions such as…
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Cochlear Implant Performance May Improve with Anti-inflammatory Drugs
MELBOURNE — Australia’s HEARing Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), a collaborative group of 21 internationally-recognized organizations, announced on August 24th promising new research suggesting slowly released drugs to the inner ear via electrodes may improve cochlear implant performance. According to HEARing CRC CEO, Professor Robert Cowan, research using an electrode array that slowly releases anti-inflammatory drugs into…
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New Research on Genetic Architecture in Hearing Loss Holds Promise
Genetic factors play a significant role in both sensorineural hearing loss and noise-induced hearing loss. For a number of reasons genetic studies involving humans are complicated. They are prone to challenges associated with low statistical power, limited replicability, and confounding environmental parameters, such as noise exposure and ototoxic medication use. Thus, the inbred mouse research…
Read MoreScience is moving fast in addressing genetic causes of deafness
NEW ROCHELLE, NY—“Over the next decade, most of the variant genes responsible for deafness will be identified, and such knowledge will lead to the development of practical treatments.” So predict four scientists from the University of Miami writing in the June 2013 issue of Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers (GTMB). In their paper, “Next-Generation Sequencing…
Read MoreUtah program would pay for kids’ hearing aids
SALT LAKE CITY—The Utah Legislature stands on the verge of making hearing aids available free to low-income children in that state who do not qualify for Medicaid or for the Utah Children’s Health Insurance Program. On March 13, the Senate voted unanimously to establish an advisory committee in the Utah Department of Health that would…
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