We seek to renew support for an expanded Research Center for Auditory and Vestibular Studies in the Department of Otolaryngology at Washington University School of Medicine. The major goal of this Research Center is to advance our understanding of growth, injury, disease, and normal and recovered function primarily related to hearing and balance. The research cores have been redesigned and expanded to better support existing research programs, provide centralized access and training to major equipment and shared resources, promote cooperative interactions, and stimulate new collaborative research directions. Two previously funded research cores were re-configured into a Microscopy and Digital Imaging Core and a Histology Core. Two new research cores include an Animal Inner Ear Function Core and a Human Vestibular Core. The Research Center is physically located in the CID research building on the School of Medicine campus, and has investigators from more than 11 departments across the University. The research base is broad and encompasses such diverse areas of research as anatomy, biochemistry, cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, molecular biology, neurobiology, and physiology. The research core facilities provide equipment and services that advance research in NIDCD-mission areas. While three of the four core facilities emphasize the use of transgenic and mutant mouse models, they also encourage non-mouse models. Each core trains scientists in new research techniques and provides limited assistance to promote new collaborative research directions. The Center attracts new investigators through active mechanisms that encourage collaboration with Center investigators. The Center also supports seminars, workshops, lectures, and journal clubs of interest. The Microscopy and Digital Imaging Core supports high-resolution cellular, molecular and ultrastructural studies of gene and protein expression using multi-photon confocal microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The Histology Core optimizes histological processing and evaluation of tissues in order to understand development, function, disease, and recovery processes. The Animal Inner Ear Function Core provides both rapid screening and detailed physiological assessment of auditory/vestibular function after gene mutation or experimental manipulation. The Human Vestibular Core helps researchers investigate human spatial perception and motor coordination in a moving (rotating or translating) environment. In addition to supporting basic research programs, the addition of a Human Vestibular Core advances the opportunities for translational research.
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