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August
2006
Drugs to
stop old people going deaf may be a step nearer after scientists
identified the gene at fault. They found huge DNA differences between
people who lose their hearing and those who do not.
Now they
hope the KCNQ4 gene discovery paves the way for drugs to prevent deafness
and bring relief to Britain's 6.5million over-60s affected.
Dr Ralph
Holme of the Royal National Institute for the Deaf, which funded the
study, said: "We are optimistic that people will no longer face the
prospect of losing their hearing as they age."
Full Story
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August 2006
Loss of
hearing in the elderly has been blamed on defects in a specific gene
according to studies by Dutch researchers. It has been estimated that about
37% of Britons from ages 61 to 70 and 60% of those from ages 71 to 80 about
6.5m people are said to have age-related hearing loss. The Human Mutation
study that was conducted on 1,200 people revealed subtle changes in the
gene, KCNQ4 more frequent among those with age-related hearing problems.
According to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, which funded the
work, the study offered "real hope for treatments."
Full Story
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June 2007
A new study has identified a gene responsible for
otosclerosis - the single most common cause of hearing loss among white
adults. Melissa Thys, from the Department of Medical Genetics, University of
Antwerp, Belgium, said that this finding may be a step towards new
treatments for otosclerosis, which affects approximately 1 in 250 people.
Otosclerosis is a multifactorial disease, caused by an interaction of
genetic and environmental factors. The outcome is a progressive hearing loss
as the growing bone in the middle ear interrupts the sound waves passing to
the inner ear. While the causative factors remain unknown, now one of the
genetic components has been identified.
Full Story
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September 2007
Editor: The folks at the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center
at the University of Washington are looking at the genetic basis of hearing
loss. This article first appeared in their online newsletter at http://depts.washington.edu/hearing/pdf/bloedelsound.pdf
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As of 2006, researchers have identified 145 different genetic loci that
cause hearing loss in humans. Of these deafness-causing locations in the
genome, the specific mutated gene has been identified for 80 of them. The
complex structure of the auditory system and its demand for fast and precise
signaling to the brain is the likely reason why there are such a large
number of different genes, mutations in which cause hearing loss. The fact
that auditory system malfunctions are not lethal to either humans or mice
makes genetic analysis of hearing loss a particularly useful way to probe
the biological basis of hearing loss and deafness. While convenient for
understanding how hearing happens, the human cost of hearing loss is very
large, having both enormous social impact as well as significant economic
consequences. Detailed studies on each gene that contributes to hearing loss
provides information on the basic biology of hearing and provides clues as
to how hearing loss might be ameliorated in affected individuals.
