I think everyone knows that just introduction of the ATOH1 gene doesnt bring back your hearing completely. Even Novartis has said something like this might take you from profound to moderate loss. Basically this is the next step to see if it works on humans and how it might affect them. Right now we have nothing so even a small gain would be welcome and with hopes that this leads to something better. I dont think human trials are pre-mature as stated in the article because we have to start somewhere and putting this off for another 10 years wont help us get there any sooner. As long as there are people willing to risk it, which there are lots, then I believe we should continue down this path. If the people now see a 10db gain which is nothing, to someone who has lost 80 db, going back to 70 would be welcome. If rewriting the genes helps to prevent further loss, then that in itself might worth it.
I would like to see a cure in my lifetime, but I dont think thats possible until we start applying some of these strategies to humans so we can compare them to the animal models. I for one appreciate the work Novartis is doing.