Gene therapy improves deaf children's hearing

All five children taking part in a Shanghai-led clinical trial of a gene therapy to treat congenital hearing loss showed significant restoration of hearing in both ears, researchers said on Wednesday.

Their speech function and ability to locate the sources of sound were also greatly improved, researchers from the Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai said.

It was the world's first clinical trial of a gene therapy for both ears, they said.