Gene jab is a 'huge step' for the deaf

DEAF people have had their hearing restored thanks to ground-breaking gene therapy.

- By Stephen Beech

The trial involved 10 Chinese patients, all under 25 and suffering mutations that cause a deficiency in a protein vital for transmitting auditory signals from the ear to the brain.

A single jab of a synthetic virus was given in the inner ear through a membrane at the base of the cochlea.