Approximately one in 1,000 babies are born with some degree of
deafness, making this the most common sensory deficit in humans.
Around half of these cases have a genetic cause and more than
100 mutations have so far been identified in the genes that are
responsible for normal function of a critical part of the
auditory system, the cochlea. Deafness Research UK is funding a
new pilot study to better understand the genetics behind this
type of hearing loss. Dr Pauline Phelan Drs Pauline Phelan and
Nerissa Marziano, at the University of Kent, will collaborate
with scientists at the UCL Ear Institute in London to
investigate the hearing organ in the fruit fly Drosophila
melanogaster. Fruit flies and mammals, including humans, have
evolved remarkably similar mechanisms for processing sound. Many
of the genes required for the development and functioning of the
fruit fly equivalent of the cochlea are also known to have
counterparts in mammals. The eight month study will aim to find
out whether the ‘gap junction' - a