The Hindu News Update Service
News Update Service
Saturday, April 18, 2009 : 0315 Hrs
Health
New study holds out hope for treating deafness
LOS ANGELES (Xinhua): Researchers said on Thursday they have identified tiny
molecules that help people hear, a breakthrough that may lead to a treatment
for hearing loss and deafness.
An international team, including researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel
and Purdue University in the United States, found that seven microRNAs,
small segments of the genetic building block ribonucleic acid, or RNA, are
critical to the survival of specialized sensory cells in the inner ear, called
hair cells.
Lack of the seven molecules will reduce the number of hair cells developed, and
therefore cause abnormal development of the inner ear and progressive hearing
loss, the researchers reported in the journal Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences.
"Until very recently, science only knew that mutation in protein-coding genes
caused deafness," said Karen Avraham, the Tel Aviv University professor who
led the study. "We went a layer deeper and discovered that the loss of
microRNAs leads to deafness as well."
Donna Fekete, a Purdue University professor of biological sciences involved in
the study, said the findings could provide promising leads to treat hearing
loss.
"The molecules we identified could be used as a molecular tool delivered
directly into the ears of deaf people to induce regeneration of important
sensory
cells that would improve hearing," Fekete said.
Fekete said the molecules also could potentially help people with balance
disorders related to inner ear function such as Meniere's disease.
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