New grants from Deafness Research UK
20 May 2010
Grant awards made at the April meeting of the Deafness Research UK Research Sub-Committee
Supporting the extension of the genetics of Otitis Media study
Dr Mahmood Bhutta from the University of Oxford is leading a large project to study the genetics of Otitis media , commonly known as “glue ear”. Deafness Research UK has recently awarded £15,000 to this project to enable the study to be extended to include four data collection centres in Scotland. This three-year project will analyse the DNA of children who have persistent or repeated problems with their ears, and the DNA of their family, to see if the genes that have been found in the mutant mice may be responsible for this same problem in humans (these genes are called "Evi1" and "Fbxo11"). If a gene is discovered that contributes to ear inflammation, it could play a very important role in understanding, preventing and treating these common diseases. The award from Deafness Research UK will fund the consumable costs for collecting DNA samples from approximately 320 families expected to be recruited at the four Scottish centres.
Sponsoring the inaugural ‘Ciliopathy Awareness Day
Dr Daniel Jagger of the UCL Ear Institute is organising an event on 29 November at the Institute of Child Health in London to bring together patients, clinicians, researchers and policy-makers to discuss Ciliopathies, a family of rare and life-threatening genetic diseases that are associated with a variety of clinical features, including hearing impairment. The day will launch a new UK Ciliopathy Alliance group that has been formed by affected families, clinicians and basic scientists. This will be a public communication event highlighting the similarities between these conditions, encouraging unified fund-raising, and stimulating mutually beneficial research and health policy change.
Sponsoring the Ted Evans Lecture at the British Society of Audiology Annual Conference
Professor Anu Sharma from Colarado University presented this lecture at the conference in September 2010 that is been held at the University of Manchester, 8-10 September 2010. The event also included a presentation from our current Pauline Ashley Prize Winner, Nick Leach .
Funding travel grants
Stefan Kerber (MRC Institute of Hearing Research, Nottingham) has been awarded £400 towards expenses to attend the 11th International Conference on Cochlear Implants and other Auditory Implantable Technologies in Stockholm in September. Stefan will be presenting a talk on his research at the meeting entitled ‘Localisation performance with cochlear implants in simulated rooms’.
Dr Victoria Bajo ( University of Oxford) has been awarded £750 towards a visit to the laboratory of Dr Boydon at MIT in Boston, USA. Victoria is going to study a new technique, the use of optogenetics to reversibly inactivate the auditory corticocolicular pathway in models. On her return, she is planning to establish this technique in her laboratory at Oxford.
