Sensory Mechanotransduction
Electrical Signaling
Dedicated to the study of hair cell development and electrical signaling in auditory and vestibular physiology in normal and pathophysiological states. The goal is to target the two fundamental mechanisms associated with hearing: The nature and mechanism of the mechanotransduction complex (MTC) in hair cells of the cochlea and vestibular system, and the molecular basis of electromotility in the cochlear amplifier (Prestin-mediated).
Ion Channels
At the core of hair cell mechanosensitivity is a collection of 50–100 mechanically gated ion channel complexes that allow for detection of rapid hair bundle movements as small as few angstroms and remains one of the last true frontiers in molecular physiology.