Here's hope for the deaf

Scientists are on track to help millions of people worldwide to have their hearing restored through a landmark gene therapy, a study has suggested.

A study published in the journal Nature showed that regeneration of inner ear cells 'could prevent deafness'.

An American team of scientists, lead by Dr John Brigande of the Oregon Hearing Research Centre, Portland, have show that by implanting a gene that regulates hair cell growth, Atoh1, into the mouse inner ear while the mouse is still in the womb, new hair cells are made.

'The exciting news for those of us with hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing in the ears) is that we now have hope of having our hearing restored someday,' Brigande was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

The report said the experiment triggered the growth of new hair cells in the inner ear -- the usually irreplaceable sensory cells that pick up sound vibrations and that are lost due to ageing, disease and by intense exposure to loud sound.

Hair cells play a key role by converting vibrations received through the eardrum to electrical signals that are carried to the brain.

However, Brigande, who himself is profoundly hard of hearing, feels the research is still at an early stage to test in humans.

'Only after this can we start experiments that will teach us if the approach might work in humans. So there is an enormous amount of work to do,' he stressed.