Latest news with #DepartmentofClinicalScience
New York Post
29-07-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Deaf kids and adults got their hearing back within weeks of having a ‘life-changing' injection
It's music to our ears. Approximately 11 million people in the US consider themselves deaf or severely hard of hearing. No medications have been approved to treat hereditary hearing loss, but cochlear implants can help people with deafness perceive sound by bypassing damaged parts of the inner ear and directly stimulating the auditory nerve. Advertisement 3 'This is a huge step forward in the genetic treatment of deafness, one that can be life-changing for children and adults,' the study's lead author said. Irina Flamingo – Now, a new gene therapy injection that restored hearing in people with mutations in the OTOF gene offers fresh hope. Researchers injected an AAV vector carrying a healthy copy of the OTOF gene into the inner ear of 10 patients aged 1 to 24. Advertisement The OTOF gene encodes the protein otoferlin, which is essential for transmitting sound signals from the ear to the brain. Without a functional OTOF gene, the critical connection between hair cells in the inner ear and the auditory nerve is disrupted. 3 Researchers injected an AAV vector carrying a healthy copy of the OTOF gene into the inner ear of 10 patients aged 1 to 24. oatautta – Participants began to regain hearing in under a month, with the average perceptible sound threshold dropping from 106 decibels — the level of a lawn mower or motorcycle — to about 52 decibels — normal conversation level — within six months. Advertisement Younger participants fared best, especially those 5 to 8 years old. In one remarkable case, a 7‑year‑old girl regained almost all her hearing and was able to hold a conversation with her mother just four months after treatment. 'This is a huge step forward in the genetic treatment of deafness, one that can be life-changing for children and adults,' Maoli Duan, a consultant and docent at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, said in a statement. Advertisement 'Smaller studies in China have previously shown positive results in children, but this is the first time that the method has been tested in teenagers and adults, too,' he added. The therapy proved well-tolerated, with no serious side effects reported during the follow‑up period of six to 12 months. The most common reaction was a temporary reduction in neutrophils, a type of white blood cell. 3 Younger participants fared best with the new treatment, especially those 5 to 8 years old. JPC-PROD – 'Hearing was greatly improved in many of the participants, which can have a profound effect on their life quality,' Duan said. 'We will now be following these patients to see how lasting the effect is.' Duan noted that the OTOF gene is 'just the beginning.' 'We and other researchers are expanding our work to other, more common genes that cause deafness, such as GJB2 and TMC1,' he added. 'These are more complicated to treat, but animal studies have so far returned promising results. We are confident that patients with different kinds of genetic deafness will one day be able to receive treatment.'
Hans India
07-07-2025
- Health
- Hans India
New gene therapy shows potential for restoring hearing
New Delhi: Ina significant scientific breakthrough, an international team of researchers has developed a novel gene therapy that can improve hearing in children and adults with congenital deafness or severe hearing impairment. In the study, Swedish and Chinese used gene therapy and improved hearing in 10 patients, and the treatment was well-tolerated. 'This is a huge step forward in the genetic treatment of deafness, one that can be life-changing for children and adults,' said Maoli Duan, consultant and docent at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, comprised 10 patients between the ages of 1 and 24 at five hospitals in China, all of whom had a genetic form of deafness or severe hearing impairment caused by mutations in a gene called OTOF. These mutations cause a deficiency of the protein otoferlin, which plays a critical part in transmitting auditory signals from the ear to the brain. The gene therapy involved using a synthetic adeno-associated virus (AAV) to deliver a functional version of the OTOF gene to the inner ear via a single injection through a membrane at the base of the cochlea called the round window. The gene therapy worked rapidly and helped the majority of the patients to recover some hearing in just a month. A six-month follow-up showed considerable hearing improvement in all participants, with the average volume of perceptible sound improving from 106 decibels to 52. The younger patients, especially those between the ages of five and eight, responded best to the treatment. One of the participants, a seven-year-old girl, quickly recovered almost all her hearing and was able to hold daily conversations with her mother four months afterward. However, the therapy also proved effective in adults. 'Smaller studies in China have previously shown positive results in children, but this is the first time that the method has been tested in teenagers and adults, too,' Duan said. 'Hearing was greatly improved in many of the participants, which can have a profound effect on their life quality. We will now be following these patients to see how lasting the effect is,' the expert said. Importantly, the results also show that the treatment was safe and well-tolerated.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Urine test could reveal prostate cancer: Study
(NewsNation) — The future of prostate cancer screening could be upon us. According to a new study published in the Cancer Research journal, early prostate cancer diagnoses can be made via a mere urine test. Prostate cancer is one of the world's most frequently occurring cancers among men. In the United States, it is the second most common cancer behind skin cancer. These 2 things in your diet could help lower inflammation: Study Researchers from Sweden, China, and the United Kingdom used AI models to analyze urine samples of almost 2,000 men and recognize biomarkers indicative of prostate cancer. 'New, more precise biomarkers than PSA (prostate-specific antigen blood test) can lead to earlier diagnosis and better prognoses for men with prostate cancer,' principal investigator Mikael Benson and senior researcher at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, said in a release. 'Moreover, it can reduce the number of unnecessary prostate biopsies in healthy men,' he added. The study was largely funded by the Swedish Cancer Society, the Swedish Research Council and Radiumhemmet: a non-surgical cancer research and treatment center in Sweden. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
