Gene Therapy Holds Promise for Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) affects a significant number of adults, with over 90% of cases falling into this category. It occurs due to damage in the inner ear or auditory nerve, leading to various challenges in daily life.
SNHL can range from mild to severe, with different decibel levels indicating the severity. Mild hearing loss is between 26 to 40 decibels, moderate is between 41 to 55 decibels, and severe is more than 71 decibels. This type of hearing loss can make it difficult to hear sounds in noisy environments, understand children's and female voices, and may also cause dizziness and balance problems, as well as tinnitus.
Exposure to loud noises above 85 decibels, even just once, can lead to SNHL. This condition can be congenital or acquired, with common causes including loud noise exposure, genetic factors, and age-related hearing loss. Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL), a medical emergency affecting roughly 1 in 5,000 people, usually only affects one ear.
Research is ongoing to find effective treatments for SNHL. Notably, a collaboration between Tel Aviv University and Boston Children’s Hospital has made significant strides. In September 2025, they announced a novel gene therapy for hereditary hearing and balance impairments in preclinical trials. This approach involves delivering a healthy gene to damaged inner ear cells using a harmless virus, with promising results published in EMBO Molecular Medicine.
SNHL can significantly impact an individual's quality of life, but ongoing research, such as the gene therapy trials, offers hope for improved treatments. Understanding the causes and degrees of SNHL is crucial for early intervention and management.
