Accessing the Inner Ear for Treatments

How do we deliver drugs to the inner ear, which contains the hardest bones in the body and is a closed, mechanically sensitive system under pressure? How can we inject medication into this system to deliver drugs without disrupting the system itself?

Tony Ricci, Ph.D., discusses recent findings from his lab that solve this issue of accessing the inner ear for drug delivery without adverse effects. A 1999–2000 Emerging Research Grants scientist, Ricci is the Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and a professor of otolaryngology–head & neck surgery and, by courtesy, of molecular and cellular physiology. His work has focused upon hair cell function, using electrophysiological and imaging tools for this work. He also has a translational component to his work where he is collaborating to develop non-ototoxic antibiotics, developing new drug delivery systems for the ear to facilitate gene therapy treatments, and more recently investigating how hearing loss impacts cognitive function.

HHF’s research webinars are a live webinar series that shares the latest developments in hearing and balance research through our community of funded researchers. All sessions include an interactive Q&A with the speaker.

The series is moderated by Anil K. Lalwani, M.D., a member of HHF's Board of Directors and the head of HHF's Council of Scientific Trustees, which oversees the ERG program. He is a professor and the vice chair for research in the division of otology, neurology, and skull base surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, and a codirector at the Columbia Cochlear Implant Program.

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All of our hearing and balance research webinars are available as captioned recordings here.