---
title: "Scientists Used Gene Therapy to Cure Deafness in Mice"
description: "A new gene therapy tested on mice can treat a specific kind of congenital deafness by repairing a faulty inner-ear protein."
date: "2019-02-20"
modified: "2019-02-20"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/gene-therapy-deafness-mice"
categories:
  - "Biology"
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "biology"
  - "gene therapy"
  - "medicine"
  - "the digest"
---

# Scientists Used Gene Therapy to Cure Deafness in Mice

![A new gene therapy tested on mice can treat a specific kind of congenital deafness by repairing a faulty inner-ear protein.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/gene-therapy-deafness-mice.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Sandid/Tag Hartman-Simkins\</em\>*

## Three Deaf Mice

About half of the time someone is born totally deaf, it's because of their genetic makeup. Those people are typically treated with [cochlear implants](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/cochlear-implants-hear-light>), but now researchers from Europe and the U.S. are looking at gene-based treatments as well.

Deaf mice treated with a new kind of gene therapy developed the ability to hear almost as well as healthy mice, [according to research](<https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/02/14/1817537116/tab-article-info>) published Tuesday in the journal *PNAS* — findings that suggest gene therapies may someday help with previously-untreatable conditions.

## Ear Genes

The mice had what's called DFNB9 deafness, the type that accounts for between two and eight percent of gene-related cases of human deafness. In DFNB9 deafness, a [protein called otoferlin](<https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1399-0004.2008.01128.x>) can't perform its usual role of transmitting sound information gathered by the fine hairs in the inner ear.

But after altering the deaf mice's genomes with specially-crafted viruses, the mice were able to hear almost as well as mice that were born with functioning otoferlin.

## Step One

Even after altering the same specific gene in mice as what causes DFNB9 deafness in humans, it's too soon to say that these gene-editing viruses can be used to treat people. There's a long road between animal experiments and human clinics.

There's more reason to be wary of this treatment. According to a conflict of interest statement in the *PNAS* article, one researcher from the University of Florida stands to profit if this virus-based technology takes off — so it's worth waiting to see if the work holds up in further studies.

**READ MORE:** [Gene therapy durably reverses congenital deafness in mice](<https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-02-gene-therapy-durably-reverses-congenital.amp>) \[*Pasteur Institute Newsroom via MedicalXPress*\]

***More on gene therapy: [New CRISPR Gene Editing Experiment Slows Down Hearing Loss](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/crispr-gene-editing-experiment-slows-down-hearing-loss>)***

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)