Dr. Paul Fuchs Explains Our Ears
Dr. Paul Fuchs explains how damage and hearing-loss can lead to the degeneration of neurons connected to inner ear hair cells.
via The Johns Hopkins News-Letter
Understanding the gritty details of mechanotransduction is important, Fuchs said, because the several dozen proteins that participate in the process are affected by certain human deafness genes. Scientists are improving gene therapy techniques to correct impaired activity of transmembrane channel 1 (TMC1). Mutations in TMC1 lead to a form of deafness in humans and mice known as a monogenic form of deafness. Fuchs explained why this form of deafness is such a big target for gene therapy.
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