Therapeutics of hearing loss: expectations vs reality

With the completion of the sequencing of the human genome, the field of medicine is undergoing a dramatic and fundamental change. The identification of our genes and the proteins they encode and the mechanisms of mutations that are pathogenic will allow us to devise revolutionary new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent the thousands of disorders that affect us. Certainly, disorders of the auditory system are no exception. Revealing the molecular mechanisms of hearing and understanding the role of each player in the intricate auditory network could enable us to employ gene- or cell-based therapy to cure or prevent hearing loss. To this end, much emphasis has been placed on the identification and characterization of genes involved in human deafness, as well as research on mouse models for deafness. Ultimately, the effect of genomics on medicine will be dramatic, providing us with the ability to cure sensory defects, a tangible goal that is now within our reach.