Promising results from the Opal gene therapy trial in Cambridge have shown that one child has near-normal hearing restoration. The child can now hear soft sounds almost normally for her age, though it is unknown if she can fully understand speech yet. Another child has also received the gene therapy treatment with positive outcomes seen six weeks after surgery.
According to Professor Bance, there are approximately 20,000 people in the US, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK who suffer from auditory neuropathy due to OTOF mutations. The National Deaf Children’s Society believes that this trial will provide valuable information on the effectiveness of gene therapy for cases where deafness has a specific genetic cause. With the right support, deafness should never be a barrier to happiness or fulfillment.
Opal and her sister Nora enjoy making noise and playing together. Opal has started talking in the last six weeks and both sisters love to see who can make the most noise. Opal enjoys playing with her musical instrument set while Nora likes reading to her and dancing with her in the kitchen. Despite their differences, the sisters love spending time together.
The results of the Chord trial were presented at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy conference in Baltimore, showing promising outcomes for those with auditory neuropathy. The potential for gene therapy to cure deafness caused by genetic mutations is an exciting development in the field of hearing restoration.