Mark A Parker Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Emerson College
Lecturer, Department of Otology and Laryngology, Harvard Medical School
Research Associate, Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary
Research Content:
My overall program of research seeks to develop more effective treatments for hearing loss and deafness. There are three avenues of research by which I accomplish this overarching goal. This first avenue of research aims to investigate the ability of exogenous stem cells to differentiate into cochlear hair cells. This stem cell work focuses on the identification of ideal stem cell types that could be used for cochlear repair and the transplantation of these cells into the damaged cochlea. The second interrelated body of work involves the use of gene therapy in the treatment of hearing loss. This work examines the ability of endogenous hair cell progenitors to differentiate into regenerated hair cells by targeted expression of the pro-hair cell gene Atoh1. Several animal models are being engineered which allows for the conditional expression of Atoh1 in specific supporting cell populations in the mouse cochlea. This work focuses on identifying supporting cell specific markers that can be used to drive Atoh1 expression and engineering genetic constructs that allow for the temporal and quantitative expression of Atoh1. The third avenue of research is aimed at improving the communication between basic hearing researchers and their clinical counterparts. There is a wide gap in the knowledge bases between these two camps and narrowing this gap is beneficial for both fields and for the hearing impaired who they aim to serve.
Publications:
SUBMITTED ARTICLES
