Gene therapies for deafness dredge up an old question: Do deaf people want a ‘cure’? Timmy Broderick By Timmy Broderick May 28, 2024

https://www.statnews.com/2024/05/28/gene-therapy-deafness-fears-endangered-species/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_VXH0K1UCt13mXZ4d7YsMGSCQYWbCYQhprQ5AqwPF9ujLqPrCb6z_wTB4Zz-wD0QeefnyJ6pCak8B60aCRndkaEhLlxA&_hsmi=310188054&utm_content=310188054&utm_source=hs_email Gene therapy works to treat deafness in both ears for the first time Otolaryngologists, rejoice! We have this report from STAT’s Timmy Broderick: Five more deaf kids can hear after receiving gene therapy injections in both ears. The results come from a collaboration between Mass Eye and Ear in Boston and Fudan University in China — the same group to first show hearing gains using gene therapy in 2023. This time, they’re back, but with bilateral injections. The treatment targets a specific form of deafness caused by mutations in the OTOF gene, which affects 1% to 8% of deaf people globally. Several heavy hitters are racing to develop similar treatments, including Regeneron and Eli Lilly. It’s an incredible technological achievement. But it’s also controversial. If you want to learn more about why some Deaf people see this treatment as an existential threat, read Timmy’s story from last week. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10511631/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9m7NAmQmLAWTHx5ULc1i4c3UcgVlpIT0NtOPYWvW0OEwKBI9KbrV72f7FDp1ylYcFqEgmQY1rvHxgx3oAtBtntUR1gGQ&_hsmi=310188054&utm_content=310188054&utm_source=hs_email#:~:text=Lieu%20et%20al.-,2020).,(ANSD%3B%20Azaiez%20et%20al.