Middle ear cavitation and mesenchymal clearance: links with deafness and otitis media

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As one of the five human senses, hearing not only has critical biological function, but is also crucially important for our integration within society. Worldwide the main cause of mild to moderate hearing impairment in children is chronic middle ear inflammation (otitis media). In the UK around 200,000 children suffer from repeated middle ear infections each year. In the developed world, implantation of ventilation tubes to combat otitis media is the most common reason for surgery in children and is a substantial burden on the healthcare services. Given the number of individuals affected, and the debilitating nature of chronic OM, it is vital that a better understanding of the factors that can influence the onset of OM are addressed. The abnormal presence of mesenchyme in the middle ear has been shown to be closely linked with chronic cases of otitis media. During normal ear development mesenchymal tissue is lost from the middle ear to create an air-filled cavity. In this grant we wish to study why mesenchyme remains in the ears of some children, using the mouse as a model. We will investigate how the middle ear cavity normally forms, what goes wrong in cases where the mesenchyme is not removed, and will then try and correct this defect. This work will help our understanding of middle ear disease, and aims to initiate new methods to treat problems.