2.49 - Gene Therapy Approaches for Cochlear Repair

Abstract

An estimated 466 million people worldwide are affected by hearing loss. The impact on quality of life is large, with hearing loss delaying development of speech, cognitive and social skills in children and links between hearing loss and social isolation, depression and dementia in adults. There are increasing examples of hearing protection and recovery in preclinical studies via gene therapy techniques that replace defective genes or by silencing, manipulating or augmenting gene expression. With timely gene therapy following diagnosis of hereditary or acquired hearing loss it should be possible to translate these findings for preservation or regeneration of hearing function in humans in many..