May 3, 2024

Gene Therapy Breakthrough in Treatment of Age-Related Hearing Loss

A team of scientists from Mass Eye and Ear, a member of Mass General Brigham, recently became the first to successfully show AAV vector efficacy in aged animal models when they developed a mature mouse design with an anomaly equivalent to a defective TMPRSS3 human gene, which normally leads to progressive hearing loss. As reported in Molecular Therapy, scientists observed robust hearing rescue in the aged mice upon injecting the animals with an AAV bring a healthy human TMPRSS3 gene.
” Our findings recommend that a virally mediated gene treatment, either by itself or in mix with a cochlear implant, might possibly treat hereditary hearing loss,” said corresponding author Zheng Yi Chen, D.Phil., a detective in the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories at Mass Eye and Ear. “This was also the first study that has saved hearing in aging mice, which indicates the feasibility of treating DFNB8 patients with DFNB8 even at an innovative age. The research study also establishes the expediency of other gene treatments in the aged population.”
Recommendation: “Rescue of acoustic function by a single administration of AAV-TMPRSS3 gene treatment in aged mice of human recessive deafness DFNB8 ″ by Wan Du, Volkan Ergin, Corena Loeb, Mingqian Huang, Stewart Silver, Ariel Miura Armstrong, Zaohua Huang, Channabasavaiah B. Gurumurthy, Hinrich Staecker, Xuezhong Liu and Zheng-Yi Chen, 26 May 2023, Molecular Therapy.DOI: 10.1016/ j.ymthe.2023.05.005.

A recent development by a research study group from Mass Eye and Ear, part of Mass General Brigham, showed effective application of adeno-associated virus vectors in aged mice designs with a mutation similar to the TMPRSS3 human gene, which causes progressive hearing loss. Their study indicates the capacity of virally moderated gene treatments for dealing with genetic hearing loss in the aged population.
Scientists at Mass Eye and Ear, part of Mass General Brigham, have successfully used adeno-associated infection vectors in gene treatments to deal with genetic hearing loss in aged mouse designs. This advancement recommends the potential for comparable therapies to deal with hereditary hearing loss in the human aged population.
By 2050, one in 10 individuals is expected to live with some kind of hearing loss. Of the numerous millions of cases of hearing loss affecting people worldwide, genetic hearing loss is often the most tough to deal with. While listening devices and cochlear implants offer minimal relief, no available treatment can avoid this group or reverse of hereditary conditions, prompting scientists to examine gene treatments for alternative services.
One of the most promising tools utilized in these treatments– adeno-associated infection (AAV) vectors– has galvanized the hearing-loss neighborhood over the last few years. Regardless of having currently rescued hearing in neonatal animals with genetic problems, the vectors have yet to demonstrate this capability in aged or totally mature animal designs. Considering that people are born with completely developed ears, this proof-of-concept is needed before testing the intervention in human beings with hereditary hearing loss.

” Our findings suggest that a virally moderated gene therapy, either by itself or in combination with a cochlear implant, might potentially treat genetic hearing loss,” said matching author Zheng Yi Chen, D.Phil., a detective in the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories at Mass Eye and Ear.

Of the hundreds of millions of cases of hearing loss impacting people worldwide, hereditary hearing loss is frequently the most tough to deal with. Considering that human beings are born with completely established ears, this proof-of-concept is necessary before evaluating the intervention in human beings with genetic hearing loss.