Albert Edge Ph.D.

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Integrative Analysis

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Integrative Analysis
Seth Ament, Ph.D. (co-chair), University of Maryland
Ronna Hertzano, M.D., Ph.D. (co-chair), National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Albert Edge, Ph.D., Mass Eye & Ear
Stefan Heller, Ph.D., Stanford University
David Raible, Ph.D., University of Washington
Jennifer Stone, Ph.D., University of Washington

This group will take the lead on data curation and analysis. A dedicated full-time HRP analyst is working across groups to help collect and process data, thereby facilitating a broader analysis of cell states and trajectories across species. The group will start by annotating hair cell types from all species so that anyone in the field can assess what kind of hair cell their regeneration approaches may produce, while also easing identification of common hair cell genes, which will help the Cross-Species Epigenetics group. Analysis of the hair cells produced in mouse organoids will be performed as an example. The Ament lab will leverage their expertise in bioinformatics, while the Hertzano lab will continue to oversee upkeep of gEAR, with a goal of making it even easier for HRP members to post their new data and for others in the community to analyze those data. The Edge lab will take the lead on the development of organoids as a screening platform for the future. The Heller, Hertzano, Raible, and Stone labs will validate markers by in situ hybridization across species, and all working group members will help direct the analysis.

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Putative Hybrid Cells in Damaged Adult Organ of Corti

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Putative hybrid cells in damaged adult organ of Corti
Albert Edge, Ph.D. Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School
Jennifer S. Stone, Ph.D. University of Washington
Mark Warchol, Ph.D. Washington University School of Medicine
Liz Oesterle, Ph.D. University of Washington
Edwin Rubel, Ph.D. University of Washington

At the fall 2014 HRP meeting, several investigators shared unpublished data and all realized that they had seen the same phenomenon—in the mature mouse inner ear, after damage that wiped our hair cells, a number of cells could be detected that had molecular signatures of hair cells yet still maintained a morphology similar to supporting cells. These hybrid cells could be supporting cells that have partially differentiated towards hair cells, and the group will characterize them in more depth. The project is exciting as it shows that there is some supporting cell response to damage and because we will be able to determine more precisely where the molecular block to full hair cell regeneration occurs.

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Standardized Mouse Model for Hearing Loss Studies

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Standardized mouse model for hearing loss studies
Albert Edge, Ph.D. Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School
Stefan Heller, Ph.D. Stanford University School of Medicine

Testing how the mouse inner ear responds to hair-cell damage will be greatly facilitated by the mouse model developed in this project. Using these mice, the HRP will be able to rapidly kill hair cells very selectively, determine which cells were supporting cells prior to hair cell death, and to visualize newly formed hair cells. We expect that these mice will be useful in a variety of phase I, II, and III experiments.

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