The story of the Colombian scientist at Harvard who advances the cure for deafness

Science plays a fundamental role in the development of Colombia, promoting innovation and progress in various areas. Thanks to the advances of Colombian scientists, important contributions have been made. A notable example is that of the scientist Pedro de la Torre, who participated in the discovery of the gene that causes deafness.

This scientist and researcher from Harvard University has carried out various research to combat deafness, and his work is recognized in several specialized magazines in the world of science.

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With a PhD in Applied Sciences, he is also a researcher at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In an interview with Noticias Caracol En Vivo, he revealed details about his training process and how he became one of the scientists seeking a cure or treatment for deafness worldwide.

Born in Barranquilla and raised in the remote town of Hibácharo, Piojó, this Colombian fought tirelessly to get ahead and become a leader in science in the country.

He graduated as a chemist from the Universidad del Atlántico and then moved to Chile to pursue a doctorate in Science, funded by the Chilean government. Subsequently, During his stay at Ohio State University, where he was conducting some research, he was recruited by Harvard Medical School.

“With discipline, dedication and a great desire to move forward hand in hand with education and science…“They invited me to a talk in front of great scientists, especially from the neurobiology department, there I presented my research advances and was recruited,” Peter assured.

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It is important to highlight that the discovery of the deafness gene is the first step to finding a cure for this hearing problem. “It is known that at least 150 different genes can cause hereditary deafness if a genetic mutation is present,” he said.

In addition, He stated that after several years of research they managed to determine which genes were “most enriched in the inner ear of mice.” By removing that gene, it was identified that when it was not present “deafness was induced in those animals.”

As of 2019, research moved forward to discover if this same problem occurred in humans. “In 2020, we published a scientific article in the journal Human Genetics in which we determined a direct relationship between the absence of this gene and hearing in humans. For the first time, we were able to discover in patients from Pakistan, China and the United States that when they have genetic defects in the gene, a deafness problem is caused.”he assured.

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Pedro de la Torre, 36 years old, assured that his passion and love for science developed since he was very little, always being interested in the why of things. “I never thought I would get here. They have been years of a lot of work and discipline, with the support of my friends, my family and my wife, but really I think one of the fundamental things is curiosity,” revealed.

Since then, it has been supporting the Universidad del Atlántico in order to transfer technology and recruit talented Colombian students to train and develop their skills in the field of science. Its objective is to foster a new generation of scientists who can contribute significantly to the advancement of knowledge and innovation in Colombia.