Researchers successfully restored hearing in people born deaf using a single gene therapy injection. The treatment delivered a working copy of the OTOF gene directly into the inner ear of 10 patients aged 1-24. All participants showed hearing improvement within six months, with most beginning to recover hearing within one month. Children aged 5-8 showed the most dramatic results, with one seven-year-old girl regaining nearly full hearing and having conversations with her mother just four months after treatment. The therapy was well-tolerated with no serious side effects observed during the 6-12 month follow-up period.
