Detailed Case-by-Case Review
- Every patient’s clinical history, hearing loss phenotype and family history are discussed with our multidisciplinary Hearing Group
- Establishing a cause of hearing loss allows healthcare providers to provide to their patients' prognostic information, such as rate of progression of hearing loss and meaningful genetic counseling.
Expertise & Experience
- Scientists at the MORL have over 100 combined years of experience studying hereditary hearing loss
- The MORL is recognized world-wide for expertise in addressing complexities of variant interpretation for hearing loss and deafness
- The MORL provides on-going support for healthcare providers, including a dedicated hearing loss genetic counselor
Advancing Knowledge of Hearing Loss
- Exploration of variants of uncertain significance through our HEAR VUS Program provides familial testing free of charge for qualifying families
- Innovative research in basic science, bioinformatics, and translational studies advances our understanding of hearing and deafness and improves clinical care
Hearing loss is the most frequent sensory deficit in humans. It affects 1 in 500 newborns and 50% of octogenarians, and in aggregate impacts 360 million people worldwide. It has broad consequences on quality of life. Not only does it limit the ability to interpret speech sounds, which in children leads to delayed language acquisition and in adults reduces the ability to communicate, but it also leads to economic and educational disadvantage, social isolation and stigmatization. For example, nearly twice the number of people with mild hearing loss will develop dementia as compared to persons without hearing loss, and for those with moderate or severe hearing loss, the risk is 3 and 5 times higher, respectively.
Dramatic progress has been made in our understanding of the biology of hearing and deafness through the identification of more than 224 genes that are causally related to hearing impairment. This genetic heterogeneity made comprehensive genetic screening using targeted genomic enrichment and massively parallel sequencing a mandatory approach for genetic diagnosis. In the MORL, we have developed two next-generation sequencing platforms, the OtoSCOPE® Panel, and the Usher Syndrome Panel.
We provide clinicians caring for patients and families with non-syndromic hearing loss the most accurate and comprehensive genetic testing available today. Establishing a genetic cause for non-syndromic hearing loss saves healthcare dollars by making additional investigational tests, such as thin-cut computed tomography of the temporal bones, unnecessary.
Multiple publications highlight our contributions to the field and are widely available to the scientific community and general public.
