Gene discovery big step in helping to prevent deafness and blindness

EUROPEAN scientists have identified the genes that cause people to become deaf and blind, especially as they get older.

Researchers intend to use this breakthrough knowledge to investigate therapies that could prevent the genes doing their work and handicapping millions of people as they grow older.

About 48 million or 10% of Europeans suffer from some kind of hearing impairment, with two in every five 75-year-olds having problems with their hearing. Millions more have sight problems that they have inherited and that becomes a problem as they get older.

More than eight million people over 60 years of age are suffering from age-related diseases in Europe while many more have various retinal degenerative diseases.

With Europe’s population set to live longer, deafness and blindness will increase over the next few years, according to the experts.

Scientists announced at an event in Paris yesterday that two European Union funded research projects have identified several new genes and the mutations that lead to blindness and deafness.

“Age-related impairments like this are a growing problem and the success of these projects so far is a major step towards coming up with a method of preventing eye disease and deafness,” said Antonia Mochan, the European Commission’s research spokesperson.

Researchers from 16 different countries, including Ireland, have been involved in the projects over the past few years together with volunteers who are deaf or blind.

The two Irish groups who have been involved in the hearing project are Trinity College Dublin and Genable Technologies Ltd.

The EU contributed €22.5 million to the projects making them the largest multinational consortia funded so far by the EU in the field of hearing and sight loss so far.

A spokesperson said that much more needs to be done to develop therapies to treat the ailments and as a result the EU will continue to support the projects over the coming years.

Over the past seven years the EU has spent more than €37m on research into different aspects of deafness and blindness, especially hereditary problems that tend to affect elderly people.