Elderly hearing loss, simple aging and environmental reasons...First Identification of Hearing Gene Mutation Mechanism
Jul 23, 2025
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A joint research team led by Professor Choi Byung-yoon of the otolaryngology department at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital and Professor Choi Joon of the otolaryngology department at Korea University Ansan Hospital (first author Dr. Kim Joo-ang and Dr. Han Eun-jung) recently published the research paper in the renowned international journal 『Journal of Molecular Medicine』.
Geriatric hearing loss is a disease in which hearing deteriorates with age and is gradually unable to hear from small sounds, and is a representative geriatric disease in which more than 40% of the elderly aged 65 or older suffer today. When it progresses to high-level hearing loss, the prevalence of major diseases that threaten elderly health, such as dementia, depression, diabetes, dizziness and falls, increases significantly, and it is emerging as a major problem in the aging era because it is difficult to hear without artificial wow surgery.
Although such senile hearing loss is often regarded as a product of aging that no one can avoid after middle age, in reality, there is a great difference in the timing and progression rate of each person depending on their innate genetic characteristics and environment.
The problem is that many environmental factors that accelerate senile hearing loss, such as noise, drugs, and underlying diseases, have been identified and are reflected in actual treatment strategies, while genetic factors are very limited. Damage to the 'HOMER2 gene', which is deeply related to hearing, is suggested as a strong hypothesis, but this is also not known about the specific pathological mechanism.
However, the research team recently discovered a mutation that significantly modifies the protein structure of the HOMER2 gene and succeeded in identifying the specific mechanism, which is expected to give momentum to the study of genetic characteristics of senile hearing loss.
The research team found that in elderly patients with high-level hearing loss who underwent artificial wow surgery 'c.The 1033delC' genetic mutation was discovered, and molecular modeling and animal experiments (Jebrafish) found that the mutation modifies the protein structure by deleting the 'cytosine' base at the base end of the HOMER2 gene and interferes with the interaction between proteins that transmit auditory signals, causing serious hearing loss.
In addition, it has also been confirmed that it causes problems with the development of the whole body, including heart abnormalities, which is the first finding that genetic mutations that cause senile high-level hearing loss can affect other organs, including the heart.
This study is meaningful in that it has been found through specific mechanisms that senile high-level hearing loss is not a simple result of aging and living environment, but a disease in which mutations at the genetic level such as HOMER2 work complexly.
Professor Choi Byung-yoon of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital said, "The results of a study that identified a branch of genetic causes that cause senile high-level hearing loss through molecular modeling and animal testing. It is expected to contribute greatly to the preparation of precise genetic diagnosis strategies and the application of hearing aids and artificial wows at the best time, and will play an important role in developing patient-specific treatments such as gene therapy for hearing loss."
Professor Choi Jun of Korea University Ansan Hospital confirmed that the HOMER2 gene mutation can affect not only hearing changes but also other parts of the body such as the heart"It can be an important clue for various aging-related diseases beyond hearing loss in the elderly."," he said.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
