About Us

Research in our laboratory aims to understand the mechanobiology of hair cells, including how they develop and function, and how these mechanisms relate to human hearing and deafness. Hearing loss is common. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), approximately 15% of American adults (37.5 million) report some trouble hearing, and about 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with a detectable level of hearing loss in one or both ears. These impairments often result from the loss of hair-cell function in the inner ear.

The hair cell is a mechanoreceptor that is essential not only for hearing but also for balance and, in aquatic animals, for detecting water movement. It converts mechanical stimuli into electrical signals that are relayed to the brain. At the center of this process is the hair bundle, where mechanotransduction channels open in response to force.

We study hair cells primarily in two complementary systems. In zebrafish (Danio rerio), a vertebrate model, we combine genetics, imaging, electrophysiology, and behavioral analysis to determine how the hair bundle and its mechanotransduction machinery, including the TMC proteins at the core of the transduction channel, operate in living animals. In squid (Doryteuthis pealeii), a cephalopod, we study the organization, subcellular anatomy, and molecular biology of hair cells. This evolutionarily distant system shows which features of mechanosensation are shared across animals and which are unique. We also use the mouse (Mus musculus) to examine how these mechanisms apply to the mammalian inner ear. Together, these studies aim to reveal fundamental principles of how hair cells detect mechanical force, providing a foundation for understanding hearing loss and identifying ways to protect hearing.