Higher levels of hearing restored in deaf mice using gene therapy

Researchers from Harvard Medical School (MA, USA) have reported the restoration of higher levels of hearing – to the equivalent of a whisper – in genetically deaf mice using a synthetic gene therapy vector. Two back-to-back studies published in Nature Biotechnology described the creation of a new synthetic vector – Anc80 – that facilitated the transferal of genes to hard-to-reach outer hair cells when introduced into the cochlea. Additionally, the researchers highlighted the importance of treatment administration time, as hearing restoration was more efficient when mice were treated soon after birth. The team utilized Anc80 to deliver the non-mutant Ush1c...