A comprehensive program is proposed to facilitate recruitment of human temporal bone donors, accrual and distribution of donated specimens to active laboratories, brokering of special needs of research investigators using human otologic material, educational efforts including short-term training opportunities in Otopathology for the profession and providing educational outreach to the public and interested professionals including scientists and organ procurement specialists and undertakers. This will be accomplished through the development and maintenance of a coordinated Temporal Bone Registry Office. The proposed Registry function will be overseen by Joseph B. Nadol, Jr., M.D. and M. Charles Liberman, Ph.D., (Co-Principal Investigators). Co- Investigators who will help to supervise the activities of the Registry will include a list of individuals with experience and professional interest in furtherance of human temporal bone histopathology. These will include Michael J. McKenna, MD, Steven D. Rauch, MD, Joe C. Adams, Ph.D., Alicia Quesnel, MD, and Felipe Santos, MD. Additional oversight will provided by the NIDCD Program Coordinator for the Registry who will help in the selection of a Steering Committee including the PI of the Registry, the Project Coordinator and 2 to 3 external scientists with an understanding and appreciation of the value of otopathology and basic otologic research.
Pathologic study of disease processes and evaluation of treatment modalities are critical aspects of the scientific basis of medicine. Many disorders of hearing, balance and facial nerve are incompletely understood in part due to deficient pathologic information. The National Temporal Bone Hearing and Balance Pathology Resource Registry is proposed in order to facilitate information sharing, solicitation of human temporal bone donors during life, the procurement of specimens as soon as possible after death and coordination of the study of these specimens either by conventional microscopy or more modern techniques such as the application of molecular genetics and proteomic methodology.
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