Isang bata na isinilang umano na bingi ang nagkaroon ng pandinig matapos isailalim sa gene therapy sa England. Ang bata, larawan na ngayon ng isang malusog at normal na paslit.
Ayon sa ulat ng Reuters, sinabi na ang bata na si Opal Sandy ang kauna-unahang pasyente sa England na nagkaroon ng pandinig matapos sumailalim sa naturang gene therapy.
"That was 24 weeks post-surgery, and we heard the phrase 'near-normal hearing', and she was turning to really soft sounds," sabi ni Jo Sanda, ina ni Opal.
Hindi naman makapaniwala ang ama ni Opal na si James sa positibong resulta ng therapy na inilawan niyang "mind-blowing."
"They played us the sounds that she was turning to and we were quite mind-blown by how soft it was, how quiet it was. They were sounds that in day-to-day life you might not even notice yourself, sort of thing," sabi ng ama.
Ang ginawang gamutan kay Opal ay bahagi umano ng isang groundbreaking global gene therapy trial, na inaasahan ng mga duktor na makatutulong para labanan ang iba't ibang genetic conditions na nagiging dahilan ng pagkawala ng pandinig ng mga bata.
"We can start to use gene therapy in young children, restore hearing for a variety of different kinds of genetic hearing loss, and then have a more 'one and done' type approach where we actually restore the hearing, we don't have to have cochlear implants and other technologies that have to be replaced," sabi ng surgeon na si Manohar Bance.
Ikinatutuwa ni Jo ang pambihirang pagkakataon na ibinigay para kanilang anak, at nakikita niya na walang masama o adverse effects ang therapy kay Opal.
"And I think a lot of parents, regardless of the difficulties their children face, to be given an opportunity to potentially make obstacles easier for her to overcome was a risk definitely worth taking," dagdag pa niya.--mula sa ulat ng Reuters/FRJ, GMA Integrated News
