(Yicai) July 25 -- A Chinese medical team led by Shu Yilai, professor at the Shanghai Eye and Ear, Nose, and Throat Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, conducted a study comparing gene therapy and cochlear implants in treating congenital deafness in children. The former had better results.

The 11 children who underwent gene therapy targeting the OTOF gene showed stable hearing recovery and faster improvements in speech performance, noise recognition, musical pitch accuracy rate, auditory cortex processing ability, and quality of life than the 61 children who received cochlear implants, according to the findings of the study published on Jama Neurology on July 21.

The 72 children were evaluated across multiple dimensions, such as hearing thresholds, speech recognition, and music perception, one year after receiving treatment.

This was the first global study systematically comparing multidimensional auditory and speech perception levels of children who received cochlear implants or OTOF gene therapy, which targets the otoferlin protein crucial for hearing.

There are no clinical drugs for congenital deafness, with cochlear implants being the only option available so far. However, they are unlikely to restore natural hearing, with limited noise and music perception improvements, and require long-term maintenance.

This Chinese study represents a huge breakthrough in the treatment of congenital deafness. The OTOF gene therapy is expected to enter clinical use soon, prompting a transformation in the approach to deafness treatment and providing a reference for treating other types of hearing loss.

Twenty percent of the global population suffers from hearing loss, and about 26 million people have congenital deafness, 60 percent of whom are related to genetics. More than 200 known pathogenic genes have been identified.

Editor: Futura Costaglione