Kelvin Y. Kwan, Ph.D.

Meet the Researcher

Kwan received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Harvard University in Massachusetts. He completed his postdoctoral training in auditory neuroscience at Harvard Medical School where he investigated the process of hair-cell mechanotransduction. He is an assistant professor and the Duncan and Nancy MacMillan Faculty Development Chair in the Life Sciences in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

The Research

Rutgers University
Identification of Transcription Factors for Hair Cell Regeneration

In mammals, when hair cells die from ototoxic drugs or loud noises, they are not replaced. Kwan’s efforts are focused on identifying transcription factors that promote repopulation and replacement of lost sensory hair cells. Transcription factors are DNA binding proteins that play crucial roles in global gene regulation. By repurposing transcription factors that are normally expressed during hair cell development, he plans to promote regeneration by controlled cell division to repopulate lost hair cells before differentiating nascent cells into hair cells.

Research area: hair cell regeneration

Long-term goal of research: To use a cocktail of small molecules that activates expression of transcription factors or their associated signaling pathways in order to promote functional auditory hair cell regeneration and alleviate hearing loss.