This project aims to understand the hereditary basis of hearing loss within the Saudi population.
Summary
More than 50% of profound congenital deafness is hereditary. Identification of genes underlying hereditary deafness will provide the basis for early diagnosis, carrier screening, and preventative counseling. Reliable early (pre-lingual) diagnosis of profound congenital deafness provides the opportunity for treatment such as a cochlear implant. Early intervention of this nature provides the best opportunity to correct or minimize this condition.
Our collaborator for this project is the Hereditary Deafness Research Group at the Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; a world-renowned research group in the area of hereditary hearing loss. Other partners include the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC) and one of our founders Nasser Al Mutawa.