tists may have found a way to treat deafness. 1 in 1000 babies are born deaf and many more people go deaf with age. It is one of the most common disabilities. Prof. Karen Avraham of Tel Aviv University has found that it is the microRNAs that are found in the hair cells of the ear are the cell regulators that help us to hear. MicroRNAs are the chemical building blocks that carry information between DNA and proteins. It controls whether the protein will be made or not. This study has been completed on mice and fish. When the functioning microRNA was destroyed in the samples, the animals became profoundly deaf. Until now, it was thought that only mutations in the genetic code were responsible for this disability, but now there is more. The reason we lose hearing is because the hair cells within the ear get worn down, and their ability to translate electrical pulses that the brain interprets gets lost.Scientists are now working on how microRNAs regulate hair cells. This will be used to try and rescue the cells that die or to create new cells in order to cure this disablilty.
reference: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090414124606.htm
Jessica Carr
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