In this project, Wouter Van der Valk at Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands, investigates how genes that are important for hearing are regulated, to understand how they contribute to hearing loss.
Project start date: May 2025
Project end date: October 2026
About the project
We don’t fully understand their role in the cochlea, especially how the activity of genes is controlled in the cochlea. Gaining this knowledge will help us understand what processes cause hearing loss, and make it easier to create treatments.
In this project, the researchers will investigate the processes, or ‘switches’, that control how genes in the cochlea are turned ‘on’ or ‘off,’ helping us understand a cause of hearing loss.
How it works
Researchers will study samples of inner ear tissue from people undergoing the types of surgeries that result in hearing loss. Using a state-of-the-art genetic technique, they will identify gene switches and proteins that are active in the cochlea and involved in hearing, providing important information on how hearing loss develops.
The data they obtain will be added to a new online database called “RegCoch” which will allow other researchers and doctors to use the information in their own research.
How will this research benefit people with hearing loss?
Hearing loss affects over 500 million people around the world, and many cases are linked to genetic mutations. We need to understand the function of these genes, and what controls it, to identify therapeutic targets.
This research could lead to better tests for diagnosis, and more personalised treatments for hearing loss. It might also help us predict hearing problems earlier on, giving people more options for prevention or care. Over time, this work could pave the way for new treatments to protect or restore hearing.
About the researcher
Wouter Van der Valk is a senior researcher at the Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands.
Most of us take our ability to hear and maintain balance for granted, yet these are remarkable gifts made possible by a normally functioning inner ear. When that function is lost, the impact on quality of life can be profound. Contributing to efforts that preserve or restore this sense feels meaningful to me.”
