Health
Children with inherited deafness hear for first time through experimental gene therapy
- Gene therapy has successfully restored hearing in some children born with inherited deafness, health officials say.
- A study in China and another at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia documented significant improvements in hearing in treated children.
- Cochlear implants are commonly used for children with hereditary deafness, but gene therapy offers a potential treatment.
Gene therapy has allowed several children born with inherited deafness to hear.
A small study published Wednesday documents significantly restored hearing in five of six kids treated in China. On Tuesday, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia announced similar improvements in an 11-year-old boy treated there. And earlier this month, Chinese researchers published a study showing much the same in two other children.
So far, the experimental therapies target only one rare condition. But scientists say similar treatments could someday help many more kids with other types of deafness caused by genes. Globally, 34 million children have deafness or hearing loss, and genes are responsible for up to 60% of cases. Hereditary deafness is the latest condition scientists are targeting with gene therapy, which is already approved to treat illnesses such as sickle cell disease and severe hemophilia.
DEAF GIRL FINALLY TELLS SANTA WHAT SHE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS AFTER ELF HELPS HER ‘SIGN’ HER WISH LIST
Children with hereditary deafness often get a device called a cochlear implant that helps them hear sound.
Dr. Yilai Shu examines a young patient at the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai, China, after a gene therapy procedure for hereditary deafness. Gene therapy has allowed several children born with inherited deafness to hear. (Courtesy Dr. Yilai Shu via AP)
“No treatment could reverse hearing loss … That’s why we were always trying to develop a therapy,” said Zheng-Yi Chen of Boston’s Mass Eye and Ear, a senior author of the study published Wednesday in the journal Lancet. “We couldn’t be more happy or excited about the results.”
The team captured patients’ progress in videos. One shows a baby, who previously couldn’t hear at all, looking back in response to a doctor’s words six weeks after treatment. Another shows a little girl 13 weeks after treatment repeating father, mother, grandmother, sister and “I love you.”
All the children in the experiments have a condition that accounts for 2% to 8% of inherited deafness. It’s caused by mutations in a gene responsible for an inner ear protein called otoferlin, which helps hair cells transmit sound to the brain. The one-time therapy delivers a functional copy of that gene to the inner ear during a surgical procedure. Most of the kids were treated in one ear, although one child in the two-person study was treated in both ears.
The study with six children took place at Fudan University in Shanghai, co-led by Dr. Yilai Shu, who trained in Chen’s lab, which collaborated on the research. Funders include Chinese science organizations and biotech company Shanghai Refreshgene Therapeutics.
Researchers observed the children for about six months. They don’t know why the treatment didn’t work in one of them. But the five others, who previously had complete deafness, can now hear a regular conversation and talk with others. Chen estimates they now hear at a level around 60% to 70% of normal. The therapy caused no major side effects.
Preliminary results from other research have been just as positive. New York’s Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced in October that a child under 2 in a study they sponsored with Decibel Therapeutics showed improvements six weeks after gene therapy. The Philadelphia hospital — one of several sites in a test sponsored by a subsidiary of Eli Lilly called Akouos — reported that their patient, Aissam Dam of Spain, heard sounds for the first time after being treated in October. Though they are muffled like he’s wearing foam earplugs, he’s now able to hear his father’s voice and cars on the road, said Dr. John Germiller, who led the research in Philadelphia.
“It was a dramatic improvement,” Germiller said. “His hearing is improved from a state of complete and profound deafness with no sound at all to the level of mild to moderate hearing loss, which you can say is a mild disability. And that’s very exciting for us and for everyone. “
Columbia University’s Dr. Lawrence Lustig, who is involved in the Regeneron trial, said although the children in these studies don’t wind up with perfect hearing, “even a moderate hearing loss recovery in these kids is pretty astounding.”
NORTH CAROLINA BABY HEARS HER FATHER’S VOICE FOR THE FIRST TIME — IMMEDIATELY BURSTS INTO TEARS
Still, he added, many questions remain, such as how long the therapies will last and whether hearing will continue to improve in the kids.
Also, some people consider gene therapy for deafness ethically problematic. Teresa Blankmeyer Burke, a deaf philosophy professor and bioethicist at Gallaudet University, said in an email that there’s no consensus about the need for gene therapy targeting deafness. She also pointed out that deafness doesn’t cause severe or deadly illness like, for example, sickle cell disease. She said it’s important to engage with deaf community members about prioritization of gene therapy, “particularly as this is perceived by many as potentially an existential threat to the flourishing of signing Deaf communities.”
Meanwhile, researchers said their work is moving forward.
“This is real proof showing gene therapy is working,” Chen said. “It opens up the whole field.”
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A rare and potentially fatal tick-borne illness currently spreading across the United States can be traced back to a 1958 case involving a young boy on a farm.
The disease, known as Powassan virus, was named for the Ontario town near where it was first discovered.
At the time of his death, Lincoln Byers, a 4-year-old living in Canada, had a condition that medical professionals could not explain, the Boston Globe reported.
DEADLY ‘FOX TAPEWORM’ LINKED TO LETHAL DISEASE DETECTED IN WEST COAST WILDLIFE
Years later, researchers discovered a tick harboring the same virus on a dead squirrel, finally providing an answer to the tragedy, but foreshadowing a growing public health challenge.
While once considered an obscure medical anomaly, Powassan virus cases have reached historic highs in the U.S., data show.
Powassan is most prevalent from late spring through mid-fall, when tick populations peak and outdoor activity increases. (iStock)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 76 Americans were diagnosed with the virus in 2025, the highest annual total on record. Previously, the U.S. averaged just seven to eight diagnoses each year.
The virus is primarily transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected woodchuck tick or deer tick. Like other tick-borne illnesses, Powassan is most prevalent from late spring through mid-fall, when tick populations peak and outdoor activity increases.
Public health experts warn that the virus’s transmission speed makes it uniquely dangerous.
TICK BITE ER VISITS HIT HIGHEST SEASONAL LEVEL IN YEARS AS DOCTORS WARN OF DISEASE SURGE
“One of the most dangerous aspects is its rapid transmission,” Dr. Jorge P. Parada, a medical advisor at the National Pest Management Association in Chicago, told Fox News Digital.
“Powassan can be transmitted in as little as 15 minutes after the infected tick bites, while Lyme disease usually requires a 36- to 48-hour attachment time for transmission.”
Powassan carries an incubation period of one to four weeks before symptoms manifest. (iStock)
Parada noted that while Powassan remains rare compared to Lyme disease, it poses clinical concern.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News, confirmed that the virus transmits significantly faster than Lyme disease. He noted that Powassan carries an incubation period of one to four weeks before symptoms manifest.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Initial symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting and weakness, though some infected individuals remain asymptomatic, according to the CDC.
There are currently no specific medications or vaccines to treat or prevent Powassan virus. (iStock)
The virus can progress to severe neurological complications, including encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and meningitis (inflammation of the spinal cord membranes).
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
In severe cases, patients may experience confusion, loss of coordination, difficulty speaking and seizures, per the CDC.
“One of the most dangerous aspects of it is its rapid transmission.”
Approximately 10% of Powassan cases involving severe neurological disease are fatal, and many survivors experience long-term neurological issues.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
There are currently no specific medications or vaccines to treat or prevent Powassan virus; clinical care is limited to supportive therapy, such as intravenous fluids and respiratory support.
While anyone can develop severe illness, those at the highest risk include children, older adults and immunocompromised individuals, experts caution.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Americans today live roughly twice as long, on average, as they did when the Declaration of Independence was signed.
When the nation was founded in 1776, life expectancy was around 35 to 40 years old, historians estimate. However, someone who survived childhood in colonial America often lived into their 60s or even 70s.
Today, the average lifespan is about 79 years old, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
FILTERED WATER AT SPECIFIC AGES COULD ADD MONTHS TO YOUR LIFESPAN DECADES LATER, NEW STUDY FINDS
The improvement in lifespan over the centuries has been largely attributed to reduced deaths in infancy and from infectious diseases, multiple researchers have stated. Advances in sanitation, clean water, nutrition, vaccination and medical care have also contributed to lower mortality rates.
“Much of this vast discrepancy is related to the extremely high rates of infant, childhood and maternal mortality,” Dr. Omer Awan, physician and professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told Fox News Digital.
Americans today live roughly twice as long, on average, as they did when the Declaration of Independence was signed. (Milan Markovic/iStock)
“Childbirth was dangerous, and without antibiotics and vaccines, many infectious diseases, such as measles, smallpox and pneumonia, were deadly,” he went on. “Now we have cleaner water and sanitation, vaccines and antibiotics that have significantly prolonged life.”
Advances in treatments of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, cancer and diabetes have also significantly prolonged life, the Harvard-trained doctor noted.
WANT TO AGE BETTER? RESEARCHERS SAY 4-MINUTE ROUTINE MAY HELP PREVENT DANGEROUS FALLS
According to the CDC, improved prevention and treatment of high blood pressure has helped reduce deaths from heart disease and stroke, two of the nation’s leading causes of death.
Mia Kazanjian, MD, a Stanford-trained body and breast radiologist with an interest in longevity who is based in Greenwich, Connecticut, attributes the shorter life expectancy in the 1700s to suboptimal sanitation, poor hygiene and limited medical treatments.
Today, the average lifespan is about 79 years old, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (iStock)
“Many babies and children died from infections like dysentery, diphtheria, scarlet fever and pneumonia,” she told Fox News Digital. Children who survived into adulthood often succumbed to infections like tuberculosis, cholera and typhoid fever.
Maternal mortality has also fallen dramatically over the past century due to advances in antibiotics, blood transfusions and safer obstetric care, according to the CDC.
Milestones in public health
Kazanjian pointed to several key advancements over the centuries that contributed to longevity improvements, including the development of early municipal water systems that provided cleaner drinking sources.
“Sewer system networks were built, the first in Brooklyn in 1857,” she said. “These allowed people to drink clean water and dispose of waste. Indoor plumbing with toilets and bathrooms became more widespread.”
“Without antibiotics and vaccines, many infectious diseases, such as measles, smallpox and pneumonia, were deadly.”
At this time, people’s understanding of disease started to improve, and public health measures were developed to minimize risk.
During the late 1800s, germ theory became widely accepted in medicine and public health, helping shape the Sanitary Era, the expert said.
COULD ‘HUMANMAXXING’ ACTUALLY HELP YOU LIVE LONGER? HERE’S WHAT EXPERTS SAY
“The Federal Quarantine Act of 1878 allowed the government to prevent spread of infection from out of the country, from epidemics like yellow fever,” she said. “Food safety regulations went into effect in 1906, when the Pure Food and Drug Act and Federal Meat Inspection Act were passed.”
By 1900, the average life expectancy was about 49 years old, according to the National Vitals Statistics Report.
Another major landmark in increasing lifespan came with the development of vaccines and antibiotics to prevent and treat disease, Kazanjian noted.
One major landmark in increasing lifespan came with the development of vaccines and antibiotics to prevent and treat disease, experts say. (iStock)
“Jenner developed the smallpox vaccine in 1796, Pasteur created vaccines for rabies and anthrax in the 1880s, and several scientists created vaccines for polio, measles, influenza, mumps and rubella in the mid 1900s,” she said.
“Antibiotics proliferated in the 1940s, specifically penicillin and tetracycline. By 1950, the US life expectancy was about 68 years old.”
FINDING THE SLEEP ‘SWEET SPOT’ COULD HELP YOU LIVE LONGER, STUDY SUGGESTS
From the mid-20th century to 2014, life expectancy continued to rise, Kazanjian said, largely due to “major gains” in medical knowledge of ways to prevent heart disease and stroke.
Public health campaigns promoting smoking cessation also played a role, as declining smoking rates helped reduce deaths from lung cancer, heart disease and stroke, according to the CDC.
“Motor vehicles became safer and carseats became staples,” Kazanjian noted.
Modern longevity is more focused on preventing chronic disease and less about surviving childhood infections. (iStock)
According to the National Institutes of Health, advances in emergency medical services and trauma care have substantially reduced deaths after serious injuries.
Development of pharmaceuticals for cardiovascular disease and cancer also contributed to longer lives, according to Kazanjian.
Today’s longevity challenges
Modern longevity is more focused on preventing chronic disease and less about surviving childhood infections, noted Nneoma Oparaji, MD, a triple board-certified media physician specializing in obesity, lifestyle and internal medicine.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“The next frontier will be less about living longer, but more about living healthier longer,” Houston-based Oparaji told Fox News Digital.
Kazanjian pointed out that between 2014 and 2026, there has been a fall and a rise in lifespan.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“The fall was due to young adult deaths from drug overdoses, particularly the opioid epidemic, suicides and alcohol-related deaths,” she told Fox News Digital.
The COVID-19 pandemic reduced U.S. life expectancy by more than two years between 2019 and 2021 before it began recovering, CDC data shows.
Advances in sanitation, clean water, nutrition, vaccination and medical care have contributed to lower mortality rates. (iStock)
Although U.S. life expectancy has rebounded since the pandemic, it remains below that of other high-income countries, largely because of higher death rates from chronic diseases, substance use and other preventable causes, according to KFF.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
Obesity rates also continue to climb, contributing to higher numbers of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, Kazanjian said.
“Most concerning is the rise in obesity in children,” she added.
“The next frontier will be less about living longer, but more about living healthier longer.”
Changing cancer trends are also affecting lifespan among younger adults, data shows.
“My generation, the millennials, has seen an unprecedented rise in young adult cancers, particularly colon and breast,” Kazanjian said, citing factors that include sedentary lifestyles, poor diet, alcohol, obesity and smoking, among others.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The doctor said she aims to raise public health awareness of ways to improve lifespan.
“We need to get off our screens, move around more, eat a whole food, plant-based diet, sleep seven hours a night, do our screening exams, and avoid toxins like alcohol and cigarettes.”
Medical expert analyzes trending IV therapy, concerns about peptides
Dr. Mike Varshavski joins ‘Fox & Friends’ for Wellness Week, examining trending self-care treatments. He evaluates IV vitamin therapy, highlighting its hospital-critical role versus unproven benefits for general wellness, citing potential risks like vitamin imbalance. Dr. Mike also differentiates creatine, a research-backed supplement, from unregulated peptides marketed with unverified anti-aging and muscle growth promises, urging caution for patients.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
We are officially living in the “maxxing” era.
From “looksmaxxing” to improve appearance to “sleepmaxxing” for better rest, these viral terms all point to the same goal: squeezing every ounce of potential out of a specific trait or habit.
With a growing focus on optimizing wellness and maximizing longevity, the trend has evolved into what’s known as “humanmaxxing,” sparking a bigger question: How far can people go to optimize the human body?
ANTI-AGING BENEFITS LINKED TO ONE SURPRISING HEALTH HABIT
While there is no single definition of humanmaxxing, the trend generally refers to efforts to optimize health, performance and longevity through a combination of lifestyle habits, health tracking, supplements and, in some cases, more experimental interventions.
While there is no single definition of humanmaxxing, the trend generally refers to efforts to optimize health, performance and longevity through a combination of lifestyle habits, health tracking, supplements and, in some cases, more experimental interventions. (iStock)
For some, the movement begins with biohacking. According to Dave Asprey, a Texas-based wellness expert who refers to himself as the “father of biohacking,” optimizing your body starts with changing your environment.
Asprey has defined biohacking as “the art and science of changing the environment around you or inside you so that you have full control of your own biology.”
COULD HUMANS LIVE TO BE 150 YEARS OLD? GENETICIST SHARES WHY IT MAY BE POSSIBLE
His public advice focuses on boosting cellular energy through everyday choices like intermittent fasting, high-fat diets, red-light therapy and supplement routines.
“My goal right now is 180 years, because I’m doing something about it now instead of waiting,” he once said.
Clinical experts warn that extreme self-experimentation skips the rigorous safety checks that typical medical science requires. (iStock)
Others have embraced a more data-driven approach. Tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, creator of the multimillion-dollar longevity project Blueprint in Los Angeles, argues that optimizing the body means removing human error from health decisions and instead relying on medical data.
“Methodically, we sought to build an algorithm with science and data that could better care for me than I can myself,” Johnson wrote on his website. “My mind did not have the authority to override the algorithm.”
THINKING ABOUT PEPTIDES? DOCTORS REVEAL KEY DOS AND DON’TS AS ‘WILD WEST’ MARKET GROWS
Johnson’s routine involves tracking hundreds of health metrics, eating a precisely measured diet, taking dozens of supplements, and undergoing advanced medical treatments in an effort to reduce his biological age.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
At the far end of the spectrum are those investing in technologies aimed at pushing the limits of human performance.
London-based tech investor Christian Angermayer recently described humanmaxxing as a strategy toward human maximization.
Tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, creator of the multimillion-dollar longevity project Blueprint, argues that optimizing the body means removing human error from health decisions and instead relying on medical data. (iStock)
“I don’t think we should become something different, because I think humans are awesome, but I think we can maximize the potential [that] is already in us,” he said in an interview with The New York Times.
Angermayer’s investment firm, Apeiron Investment Group, focuses on technologies intended to help people “live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives.” He also founded atai Life Sciences, a biotechnology company that develops psychedelic treatments for mental health conditions that are currently being evaluated in clinical trials.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
As interest in humanmaxxing grows, mainstream health experts urge consumers to separate evidence-based wellness practices from experimental interventions.
Public guidance from the National Institute on Aging notes that while some anti-aging therapies have shown promise in laboratory research, there is not yet sufficient evidence that they can safely extend human life.
As interest in humanmaxxing grows, mainstream health experts urge consumers to separate evidence-based wellness practices from experimental interventions. (iStock)
Clinical experts also caution that extreme self-experimentation can bypass the rigorous safety standards applied to conventional medical treatments.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
According to the Endocrine Society, taking substances such as testosterone or growth hormone without a medical need can lead to serious health risks, including cardiovascular complications and long-term disruption of the body’s chemical balance.
While many humanmaxxing habits overlap with standard healthy lifestyle practices, experts say consumers should be cautious of expensive or experimental interventions that promise dramatic anti-aging or longevity benefits without strong scientific evidence.
-
World1 minute agoDR Congo says 1,307 Ebola cases confirmed, including 377 deaths
-
News26 minutes agoMichigan governor threatens to pull troops from D.C. if used for Trump task force
-
New York2 hours agoMetropolitan Diary Challenge Day 2: How to Write Your N.Y. Story
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoCompany has weeks to complete cleanup of Boyle Heights warehouse fire, officials announce
-
Detroit, MI2 hours ago18 New Kid-Friendly Places That Opened in Metro Detroit in 2026 (So Far!)
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoAnza expedition celebrates 250th anniversary in San Francisco
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoPreston Hollow residents oppose proposed $800 million mixed-use development in Dallas, survey reveals
-
Miami, FL3 hours agoBradley Beal to Miami Heat rumors draw skepticism
