To help with the treatment of hearing loss in children, scientists from Tel Aviv University have developed a gene therapy for deafness based on the delivery of genetic material into the cells of the inner ear. The genetic material ‘replaces’ the genetic defect and enables the cells to continue functioning normally.
In a study published in December 2020, the scientists reported that this new therapy could lead to a breakthrough in treating children born with various mutations that eventually cause deafness.
The scientists focused on a rare genetic deafness resulting from a gene mutation which causes damage to sound wave receptors essential for hearing in the cochlea. “Children inheriting the defective gene from both parents are born with normal hearing, but they gradually lose their hearing during childhood,” says Prof Karen Avraham, the lead researcher.
Behaviors Surrounding Oral Sex May Increase HPV-Related Cancer Risk
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Scientists Develop Possible New Gene Therapy for Deafness
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Human papillomavirus (HPV) can infect the mouth and throat to cause cancers of the oropharynx. A new study published early online in
CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, has found that having more than 10 prior oral sex partners was associated with a 4.3-times greater likelihood of having HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer. The study also shows that having oral sex at a younger age and more partners in a shorter time period (oral sex intensity) were associated with higher likelihoods of having HPV-related cancer of the mouth and throat.
Previous studies have shown that performing oral sex is a strong risk factor for HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer. To examine how behavior related to oral sex may affect risk, Virginia Drake, MD, of Johns Hopkins University, and her colleagues asked 163 individuals with and 345 without HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer to complete a behavioral survey.