Sung-Ho Huh, Ph.D.

Meet the Researcher

Sung-Ho Huh, Ph.D. received B.S. and M.S. from the Korea University, South Korea, in 1999 and 2001, and a Ph.D. from Washington University in 2009. Since then he has been working as a postdoctoral fellow at Washington University School of Medicine.

The Research

Washington University
Role of FGF's in Cochlear Sensory Epithelium

Congenital sensorineural hearing loss is one of the most common hereditary disabilities, affecting 1 in 1000 children. Fgf20 null mice have congenital hearing loss associated with loss of sensory cells, and inactivation of both Fgf9 and Fgf20 result in a shortened cochlea. The goal of our research is to understand the cellular and molecular functions of Fgf9 and Fgf20 in inner ear development in vivo. The ultimate goal of this research is to learn how to direct the regeneration of malformed or damaged sensory tissue to restore or improve hearing.

Research area: hair cell regeneration

Long-term goal of research: My long term goal is to understand how Fgf signaling regulates the development, maintenance and repair of sensory hair cells and supporting cells in the cochlea. Due to lack of regenerative ability in humans after loss or dammage of hair cells, it is critical to identify signals that can reactivate developmental pathways and thus permit repair and regeneration of the damaged cochlea. Studying the mechanisms that regulate cochlear development will provide valuable clues about molecules that can be tested for regenerative activity and will thus benefit future translational studies aimed at inducing hair cell regeneration in adult humans.