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Group admin:: Fromz
Created:: November 25, 2007
: 322 Members

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science, astronomy, cryptozoology, zend, scientific

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Gene Therapy For Hearing

Posted: Aug 29, 08 10:33am

An Oregon team discovered gene transfer produced functioning hair cells that are essential for the inner ear to interpret sounds, Nature reports.

In people with normal hearing, cochlear hair cells convert sound into electrical signals, which are ultimately transmitted to the brain.

Once the cells are lost or damaged, they cannot be replaced naturally.

The have tested in unborn mice, finding other cells can be "encouraged" to change to hair cells.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7582640.stm

Wonder if this will translate into humans and, if so, can it be applied to the post-natal.

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gene, hearing

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2 Comments // 3 Members

DeeD

Posted: Aug 29, 08 10:37am

I hope so. I also hope insurance will cover it.

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Jon Deisher

Posted: Aug 29, 08 10:56pm

If this works, then the cochlear implant will become obsolete ... or at least in many cases it would be. There are many hearing impaired or deaf people whose hearing loss has nothing to do with the cochlea ... Nevertheless, for those for whom the cochlea cilia is damaged the potential for growing such cilia could be helpful and obviate the need for implants. The surgeries for these implants is expensive ... one would think that there would be some resistance to the movement of science that would eliminate this procedure.

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