Good news for those suffering hearing loss, whether genetically or acquired: Dr. Jeffrey Holt and his merry band of researchers from the University of Virginia Health System have determined that hearing restoration is possible through inner ear cell gene transfer. According to Holt:

Our results show that gene therapy reagents are effective in human inner ear tissue. Taken together with the results from another group of scientists who showed that similar gene therapy compounds can produce new hair cells and restore hearing function in guinea pigs suggest that the future of gene therapy in the human inner ear is sound.