Led by Zheng-Yi Chen at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School, a collaborative team treated six children, aged 1 to 7, with an inherited OTOF gene mutation affecting hearing. In the 26-week trial, five children showed improved hearing and enhanced speech perception. Three older children, with cochlear implants turned off, understood and responded to speech within 26 weeks. Separately, an 11-year-old at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, treated in October 2023, now experiences mild to moderate hearing loss in one ear, marking his first exposure to sound. By: https://www.instagram.com/p/C2vRZgTLm2f/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link