Hearing loss is one of the main sensory defects affecting especially the populations of industrialized countries. Hearing loss may be caused by exposure to noise, direct damage or genetically inherited with 1 in 1000 newborns affected. However, in industrialized countries especially the exposure to medicaments (e.g. cisplatin for treatment of cancer) and the growing number of aged individuals has led to an increase of chronic hearing loss. The loss of the quality of life in affected persons and the associated costs for diagnosis and treatment of patients are a considerable social and economical burden for our societies.
We are interested in several aspects of the physiology and pathofisiology of the auditory organ, including its development, damage and degeneration of auditory neurons and hair cells, and gene and cell therapy for the inner ear. At the molecular level we are focusing on members of the neurotrophin and Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) gene families, and several transcription factors. To analyse the functions of these gene families in vivo we are using transgenic mouse models. These experiments are complemented with in vitro studies using primary cell cultures. We are developing protocols directed to prevent hearing loss by gene or cell therapy.
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