Sci Rep: New study could help address hearing loss in older adults

June 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/--- In a recent study, scientists from UCL discovered a set of regulatory genes that maintain hearing healthThe discovery in fruit flies may help treat age-related hearing loss (ARHL) in humansone third (1.23 billion people) of the world's over-65s suffer from hearing impairment, and although there are more than 150 candidate genes believed to affect hearing loss, there is no consensus on how these genes can be used to develop new prevention or prevention methodsin the study, published in the journal Science Reports, UCL researchers assessed the fruit fly's hearing over the life cycle (about 70 days) to see if its hearing declined with age(photo source:researchers using advanced biomechanics, neurophysiology and behavioral techniques to find that the fruit fly's hearing indicators began to decline after 50 daysby combining molecular biology, bioinformatics and mutation analysis, the researchers identified a new set of transcriptional regulatory genesThese so-called "steady-state genes" control the activity that keeps the ear sensitiveone of the main advantages of the fruit fly model for researchers is that it can easily test the effects of individual genes by enhancing the function of individual genes (overexpression) or silence (RNAi interference)Using these tools, the researchers also found that manipulating certain solid-state genes in the body prevents hearing loss in fruit flies(Bio Valley Bioon.com)Source:Gene Discovery in fruit flies 'opens new doors' for the homeofa in elderlyOriginal Origin:Alyona Keder et al,Homeomaintenance and age-lyon yn thesophi Drola ear, Science Reports (2020) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64498-z