Biology of the Inner Ear: Experimental and Analytical Approaches

描述(由申请者提供)：本申请提出了一门以内耳生物学为中心的课程，由一组高素质的科学家和临床医生于2007年8月在马萨诸塞州伍兹霍尔的海洋生物实验室进行为期两周的教学。这门课程采用了其他具有挑战性和非常成功的MBL课程的典型的密集和集中的方法，以适应听觉和前庭研究的特定需求。该课程将招募研究生和博士后水平的有才华的年轻科学家以及来自其他研究领域的更成熟的科学家，并为他们提供尖端技术和许多专门方法的指导和动手实验室培训，这些技术和方法可能会给希望进入内耳研究的个人带来相当大的障碍。通过讲座、研究研讨会、圆桌讨论和非正式互动，在两周的时间里，学生和教师将在实验室并肩工作，课程将促进学生作为研究人员的发展，不仅强调已知的，而且还强调重要发现、创新的新方法的机会，以及将这些发现转化为有意义的卫生保健改进。该课程旨在扩大进入该领域的有天赋、高度上进的科学家的渠道；提供将向他们提出挑战的指导，并帮助他们进行独立、严格和原创的研究；引入新的想法和方法；促进建立创新和富有成效的合作；加快科学发现的步伐；并导致将更多的发现转化为有意义的改善听力和前庭疾病患者的生活。这项建议要求开设一门以实验室为基础的简短强化讲授课程，内容是应用实验和分析方法来研究内耳生物学。学生将学习欣赏听觉和前庭系统疾病的临床表现，以及进行可能改善患者生活的研究的潜力。这门课程的目的之一是吸引年轻的研究人员在这一重要领域进行研究，目标是开发治疗和治疗方法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application proposes a course centered on the biology of the inner ear that is to be taught by a team of highly qualified scientists and clinicians during a two-week period in August 2007 at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. The course has adapted the intensive and focused approach that typifies other challenging and highly successful MBL courses to the specific needs of auditory and vestibular research. The course will recruit a mix of talented young scientists at graduate and postdoctoral levels and more established scientists from other research areas and provide them with instruction and hands-on laboratory training in cutting-edge techniques and many specialized methods that can present sizable barriers for individuals who wish to enter into investigations of the inner ear. Through lectures, research seminars, roundtable discussions, and informal interactions during two weeks when students and instructors will work side-by-side in the laboratory, the course will foster the development of the students as investigators, emphasizing not just what is known, but also the opportunities for important discoveries, innovative new approaches, and the translation of those discoveries into meaningful improvements in health care. The course is designed to expand the pipeline of gifted, highly motivated scientists entering the field; provide instruction that will challenge them and help them undertake independent, rigorous, and original research; introduce novel ideas and approaches; facilitate the establishment of innovative and productive collaborations; advance the pace of scientific discovery; and lead to the translation of more discoveries into meaningful improvements in the lives of persons affected by hearing and vestibular disorders. This proposal presents a request for a short intensive lecture-laboratory based course on the application of experimental and analytical approaches to study the Biology of the Inner Ear. Students will learn to appreciate the clinical manifestations of the diseases of the auditory and vestibular systems and the potential for conducting research that may improve the lives of patients. One of the aims of this course is to attract young investigators to research in this important area with a goal of developing therapies and cures.