'Unbelievable'...tot Opal hears for first time after miracle gene therapy

A BRITISH toddler has become the first deaf person in the world to be given hearing abilities through a groundbreaking gene therapy.

- Hanna Geissler

Opal Sandy, 18 months, was born completely deaf due to auditory neuropathy, a condition caused by the disruption of nerve impulses travelling from the inner ear to the brain.

Now, thanks to a "one and done" gene therapy trial, Opal's hearing is almost normal and could even further improve.

The youngster, from Eynsham, Oxfordshire, was treated at Addenbrooke's Hospital, part of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Injection

Ear surgeon Professor Manohar Bance said the results were "better than I hoped or expected".

He added: "We have results which are very spectacular, so close to normal hearing restoration. So we do hope it could be a potential cure."

Opal's form of auditory neuropathy is caused by a fault in the OTOF gene, which is responsible for making a protein called otoferlin. This protein enables cells in the ear to communicate with the hearing nerve.

The therapy, administered via an injection into the cochlea during surgery under general anesthesia, delivers a working copy of the gene.