Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine have discovered a single gene that could hold the key to a better understanding of age-related hearing loss and provide important information for the development of future treatments.
The gene, FGF20, was removed from mice, with the animals appearing to remain healthy, however with a hearing loss. The research is vital in understanding how cells in our inner ear grow, cells which are often lost in old age and can lead to deafness.
Dr Rachel Baker, Research Programme Manager at Action on Hearing Loss, said: ‘Understanding how cells in the inner ear grow is crucial in developing new therapies for protecting and restoring hearing. This research could be particularly relevant for sufferers of age-related or noise-induced hearing loss, which affect a growing number of people in the UK.
‘We are pleased to be funding a new project being run by this research team, which is further investigating the role of FGF20 in hearing. In the future, this could lead to studies to test whether reactivation of FGF20 can regenerate damaged parts of the inner ear.’
Click here find out more about the new project.
Contact for general media enquiries:
Gurinder Duhra, PR Officer, telephone: 020 7296 8057 or gurinder.duhra@hearingloss.org.uk
Notes to editors:
- Action on Hearing Loss is the charity working for a world where hearing loss doesn't limit or label people, where tinnitus is silenced – and where people value and look after their hearing.
- For further information about Action on Hearing Loss or to become a member, visit www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk, contact the Action on Hearing Loss Information Line on 0808 808 0123 (freephone) or 0808 808 9000 (textphone) or email: informationline@hearingloss.org.uk
- For more information about Action on Hearing Loss’s Biomedical Research programme, visit www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/biomedicalresearch