Gene Therapy for Hearing Loss

Many elderly people suffer from dizziness and imbalance. A research team from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), along with scientists from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, used gene therapy to restore balance and hearing on genetically modified mice, that had a condition which was similar to Usher Syndrome. Usher syndrome is a genetic condition in which there is partial or total hearing loss among humans, and causes dizziness and progressive vision loss.