Researchers have demonstrated a new way to restore lost hearing: with a cochlear implant that helps the auditory nerve regenerate by delivering gene therapy.
The researchers behind the work are investigating whether electrode-triggered gene therapy could improve other machine-body connections—for example, the deep-brain stimulation probes that are used to treat Parkinson’s disease, or retinal prosthetics.
Image: http://www.technologyreview.com - Growth factor: The cochlear nerve regenerates after gene therapy (top) versus the untreated cochlea from the same animal (bottom).
