The researchers spuns 2 This gene suggests therapeutic potential in humans. Given the association between hearing loss and depression, cognitive decline, and dementia, such medical interventions may address a critical unmet need.
Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London have successfully restored hearing loss in mice.
Their findings were Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesdetailing a genetic method used to restore hearing in defective mice. spuns 2 This is especially noticeable in the low to mid frequency range. The researchers say the proof-of-concept study suggests that hearing loss caused by decreased gene activity may be reversible.
More than half of adults in their 70s experience severe hearing loss. Hearing impairment is not only associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing depression and cognitive decline, but is also a major predictor of dementia. Hearing aids and cochlear implants may help, but they do not restore normal hearing or stop the progression of ear disease. There is still a great unmet need for medical approaches that delay or reverse hearing loss.
Investigators in this study housed inert mice. spuns 2 gene. Then, when mice of different ages were given a special enzyme to activate the gene, their hearing improved. This has been found to be most effective when spuns 2 Gene activation is activated at a young age, and the longer it takes researchers to offer an intervention, the weaker the positive effects of gene activation.
Professor Karen Steele, Professor of Sensory Function at King’s IoPPN and lead author of the study, said: We have used genetic techniques to demonstrate this reversal as a proof-of-concept in mice, but positive results suggest that gene therapy, drugs, etc. reactivate hearing in people with similar types of hearing loss. method should facilitate research. “
Dr. Elisa Martelletti of Kings IoPPN, lead author of the study, said, “It was really inspiring to see how mice that were formerly deaf responded to sound after treatment. This is due to a genetic defect. It was a pivotal moment in demonstrating the tangible possibility of reversing the hearing loss caused by thrush.This groundbreaking proof-of-concept study opens up new possibilities for future research and provides a path to the development of therapeutics for hearing loss. It evokes hope.”
Reference: “Restoration of Pre-existing Hearing Loss by Gene Activation” spuns 2 Mutant Mouse,” by Elisa Marteletti, Neil J. Ingham, and Karen P. Steele, 8 Aug. 2023, Available here. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2307355120
This study was made possible thanks to funding from the Medical Research Council, Wellcome, and Decibel Therapeutics Inc.