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In short
- 18-month-old Opal Sandy from England, who was born deaf, can now hear thanks to a pioneering gene therapy treatment.
- She is the first to be allowed to test this treatment for hearing difficulties.
- The results have been better than expected, and it is hoped that this treatment can be used to cure others in the same situation.
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In November 2022, Opal Sandy from Oxfordshire in England was born. She was born completely deaf due to auditory neuropathy – a hearing impairment where the problem is poor transmission of nerve signals from the hair cells and the brain.
BBC News reports.
Made a shocking discovery in the nostrils
Henryk family
The little girl was treated shortly before her first birthday in November 2023, and six months later she can now hear completely.
Even sounds as soft as a whisper, the little girl perceives.
– It is completely incredible. She also says words like “mum” and “dad”, says dad James Sandy (33) to Sky News, among others.
Both he and mum Jo are ecstatic about their daughter’s hearing – thanks to pioneering gene therapy.
HAPPY: The Sandy family is ecstatic after little Opal got her hearing back. Photo: NTB.
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– Spectacular
According to the BBC, the brave one-year-old from England is the very first to have tested gene therapy for hearing difficulties. Gene therapy is a form of medical treatment in which genetic material is transferred to body cells.
According to dad James, it was an extremely tough choice:
– It was very scary, but we are incredibly grateful to have been given this unique opportunity, he tells the broadcaster.
He says that the family is now delighted to see how Opal communicates and listens, and describes the whole thing as “a dream come true”.
According to British media, Little Opal is part of a study that is recruiting patients in Great Britain, the United States and Spain. Up to eighteen people will be recruited and followed up for 18 years.
The study was presented on Wednesday at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy in Baltimore, USA.
Magda (22) marvels: – Never seen anything like it
Opal was treated at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where Professor Manohar Bance stood in the breach.
He says in a statement that the results were “better than he himself expected”, and says that he now hopes the medicines can be used to cure others in the same situation.
– Opal’s results are absolutely spectacular. It’s amazing to see how she suddenly reacts to sound! She is really close to having completely normal hearing now. We hope this can be a potential cure for more people, he says happily.
Video originally published on dagbladet.no/dbtv.no on 13.01.2014 NEDDOPET: Lacee Garcia has just received local anesthetic and had her wisdom teeth pulled at the dentist. Once home, Lacee’s mother decides to film her daughter’s behavior. Video: Lacee Garcia/YouTube
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Furthermore, the professor hopes that the study can lead to gene therapy becoming more commonly used when it comes to hearing loss.
– The younger the children are when we restore their hearing, the better, he says further in the statement.
Putting the deaf “on the agenda”
Martin McLean, head of the National Association for Deaf Children in England, tells the BBC and Sky News that he is “delightfully pleased” that gene therapy for deafness and hard of hearing is now in the spotlight.
He hopes that more and more children can get their hearing back.
– We want to support and inform people about medical technology, so that more people can give their deaf children the best possible start in life, he tells the media.
Opal’s parents, Jo and James, say they are delighted with their daughter’s transformation. They tell several international media that their little daughter now loves banging cutlery against glass to listen to the sounds, and say that it looks like the one-year-old enjoys playing better than before.
