In this project, Dr Marcela Lipovsek and Kelly Lo at University College London seek to discover the cellular processes in the inner ear which lead to different types of hearing loss.
Project start date: October 2025
Project end date: September 2028
About the project
Hearing relies on sound-sensing hair cells within the inner ear. These transform sound waves into electrical signals that the brain can perceive as sounds. The nerve cells that transmit this information are called spiral ganglion neurons, and their health is essential for hearing.
We don’t yet know how the spiral ganglion neurons are affected by different types of hearing loss. For example, do they react differently to damage caused by an ear-damaging drug than to trauma caused by very loud sounds?
In this project, Kelly will investigate what happens to spiral ganglion neurons in different types of hearing loss. They will do this with the goal of identifying new genes or biological processes that could be targeted by tailored treatments to help improve spiral ganglion neuron function and thus hearing.
How it works
Kelly will assess all the genes that are active in spiral ganglion neurons using a state-of-the-art technique called single nuclei RNA sequencing.
They will study mouse models of common forms of hearing loss: mice that lack the ‘Otof’ (otoferlin) gene (a genetic form of hearing loss); mice treated with aminoglycoside antibiotics, which can cause hearing loss, and mice exposed to high levels of noise that damages hair cells.
Kelly will compare patterns of gene expression (whether the genes are active or not) in the spiral ganglion neurons in these mouse models of hearing loss versus mice with normal hearing.
How will this research benefit people with hearing loss?
This work will allow the identification of genes or biological processes that could be directly targeted with therapeutics. This could lead to improved cochlear implant outcomes, improved prevention of hearing loss caused by medications, improved treatment of noise-induced hearing loss, and improved effectiveness of gene therapies.
About the researchers
Dr Marcela Lipovsek is a Research Fellow at the UCL Ear Institute at University College London.
We are working towards improving our understanding of how all the different pieces of the hearing and balance systems work together at the single cell level, and how the different pieces are affected in different ways when things go wrong.”
Kelly Lo started her PhD in Marcela’s lab in October 2025.
My motivation comes from the desire to help people reconnect with sound; by exploring how these nerve cells respond in different types of hearing loss, I hope to contribute to developing more effective and personalised treatments.”