The research, led by Russian biologist Denis Rebrikov, has not led to the birth of gene-edited babies—yet.

After a decades-long pursuit, researchers have confirmed the identity of the pore of the mechanotransduction channel in vertebrates’ inner ear hair cells.

Researchers reduce the severity of hereditary deafness in mice with the delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 protein-RNA complexes that inactivate a mutant gene in their inner ears. 

Using the mutagenic chemical N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea, researchers confirm the role of a gene in a piglet deformity and identify potential models for human diseases. 

Deficiency in a protein called pejvakin makes inner ear cells more vulnerable to sound, unable to brace themselves against oxidative stress stimulated by noise. 

Until recently, auditory brainstem implants have been restricted to patients with tumors on their auditory nerves.

Expressing a gene for a component of the inner ear’s hair cells treated a form of genetic deafness.

The surgically implanted device can be tweaked to provide short electric bursts that send a nerve-growing gene into local cells, a study on guinea pigs shows.

Scientists are using genetic techniques to target diseases that affect how we see, hear, smell, taste, and feel.