An eleven-year-old boy who was deaf from birth can hear again thanks to special gene therapy. The boy from Morocco was the first person to receive this therapy at a children’s hospital in Philadelphia.
As the New York Times reported, research into the treatment is still ongoing. The therapy also does not mean that the child now understands the language and speaks it himself. The boy who learned sign language may never be able to do so. The brain has a window for language learning that begins in the second or third year of life. After the age of five, it is closed forever, according to the report.
Months of therapy
The eleven-year-old has a very rare genetic defect that affects only about 200,000 people worldwide. A single modified gene causes deafness, which is replaced by an intact version during treatment. After several months of therapy, the boy now has largely normal hearing. This can be useful in traffic or in other situations. The child can now also listen to music.
There are currently approximately six studies into such therapy worldwide. After the recent success, the scientists now want to apply the therapy to younger children. However, most people born with this form of deafness are not eligible for it because they received so-called cochlear implants at a young age to hear.
Source: Krone
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