NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) - Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute and the House Ear Institute have begun a study that will use Affymetrix GeneChips to identify the genes and genetic interactions involved in presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, TGen said last week.
Â
The researchers will use Affy’s 500K SNP chips to study nearly 2,000 patient samples collected at the Hereditary Deafness Laboratory at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. A short-term goal of the study is to create a screening chip to identify variations in specific genes that lead to presbycusis, TGen said.
Â
According to the National Institutes of Health, around 30 percent to 35 percent of adults between the ages of 65 and 75 years experience presbycusis, and 40 percent to 50 percent of people 75 years and older suffer from hearing loss.
Â
"This study will serve as a foundation for gene discoveries in other complex diseases and provides the groundwork for early diagnosis and treatment of age-related hearing loss," said Rick Friedman, principal investigator of the study at the House Ear Institute, in a statement.