A British girl born deaf has regained her hearing thanks to gene therapy. Opal Sandy was the first patient in the world to participate in a new and groundbreaking study, reports the British health service NHS.
The 18-month-old child was born completely deaf due to auditory neuropathy, a condition in which signals from the inner ear do not properly reach the brain.
Following a treatment currently in testing in the UK and abroad, which consists of an injection into the cochlea of the ear with a certain gene, the Oxfordshire girl’s hearing is almost completely normal and she may be able to improve even further.
Four weeks after the operation, little Opal started responding to sounds, and now she also responds to her parents’ voices and can say words like “daddy” and “bye.” “When Opal was able to hear us clap without help it was incredible,” said her mother, Jo Sandy, “and we were so happy when the medical team confirmed at 24 weeks that she was also picking up softer sounds and speech.”
According to professor and ear specialist Manohar Bance, who oversaw the research, the results are spectacular and better than expected. “This is hopefully the beginning of a new era for gene therapy for the inner ear and for many types of hearing loss,” he concluded hopefully.
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Tags: Miracle medical world British toddler born deaf hear gene therapy
