Hearing loss is one of the most severe problems that human beings face. Hearing is one of the five basic senses granted to humans. In the absence of this sense, one of the greatest components of our communication is lost. There are currently several studies looking into finding a cure for hearing loss.
Efforts to get rid of Hearing Loss – Under Process
Deafness Sign
Researchers are busy with finding out the root causes of hearing loss and coming up with a permanent solution. In short, so many elements are working together to study and research the depth of the hearing process and extract a permanent treatment for this handicap.
Factors leading to deafness
Aging
Aging is a constant factor where humans experience progressive hearing loss after entering into old age. Apart from aging, some injuries can also cause hearing loss.
Side Effects of Medicines
Hearing loss can also occur as a result of the side effects of some medicines. People take medicines to treat some diseases and may suffer from hearing loss as a result.
Deafness by Birth
Moreover, there are some cases in which humans have hearing loss problems since their birth. In short, there are many reasons behind hearing loss but no permanent treatment for this problem. This lack of treatments to this scourge is the basic reason behind countless researches, studies, surveys, and experiments on it.
Limitation in the study
The hearing loss epidemic after a specific age is a very common phenomenon. People who suffer from this tend to develop a sense of disliking others. Such individuals resolve to remain alone. Their preferred isolation is because of their inability to listen properly or at all in public. Due to their aloofness, such people could not be taken as the test case to study deafness and this is why there is trouble in finding a permanent treatment to cure it.
Identification of 38 new genes in mice
Scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and King’s College London conducted a very useful study on 1211 mice and it was very fruitful. As a result of this study, they observed that 38 different genes were involved in hearing loss.
The revelation of 38 genes – An achievement unlocked
This is a great breakthrough in understanding deafness with scientists and researchers considering it a milestone achieved. The study of these genes involved in hearing loss will help researchers in their further identification of the root causes of hearing loss. This will make them able to come closer to a cure.
The resemblance of the identified genes with human beings
Upon the identification of these 38 new genes in mice, the next logical question becomes the presence of these genes in human beings with hearing loss. The researchers observed that 11 out of these 38 new genes were present in the variables that they gathered for their study. The identification of 11 genes in humans is also a hallmark in the field of research for the cure of hearing loss.
A gateway to study the cure for deafness
Now the scientists have broadened the horizon of their studies to examine these 11 genes. The purpose of this examination is to find out the genes that contribute to hearing loss due to age. The genes are also examined to see if they are involved in deafness in children right after they are born. The scientists are of the view that this is a one-of-its-kind discovery and it can be a gateway to a very vast study on the hearing loss patterns and their cure.
Making Drugs to cure Deafness
The scientists are closely examining the 11 genes to find out suitable drugs that could treat hearing loss among individuals. The researchers are trying their best to classify these genes as the ones which cause permanent hearing loss and the ones which turn out to be effective in repairing it.
A Moment to Celebrate in Medical history
This identification of the new genes in hearing loss is a matter of great pleasure for the scientists as well as the patients suffering from it. These genes are now under careful examination in the hope that they may lead to a permanent cure for hearing loss.
References
Scientists Discover Genes Causing Age-Related Hearing Loss
Mouse screen reveals multiple new genes underlying mouse and human hearing loss
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