Otopathology by Light Microscopy and Molecular Techniques

描述（由申请人提供）：了解疾病的病理基础是医学研究的核心，包括影响听觉和前庭系统的疾病。耳科的独特之处在于内耳在生命中是不可接近的，因此，常规的病理研究技术如活检和手术切除是不可行的。因此，只有通过对颞骨的死后研究和建立可靠的动物模型，才能深入了解耳部疾病的病理基础。对影响听觉和前庭系统的疾病的病理学和发病机制的更好理解应该导致这些疾病的更合理的诊断和临床管理。人类颞骨的获取、处理和研究是一项耗时且昂贵的奋进，其超出了病理学临床部门的范围，因此是在颞骨实验室中进行的研究奋进。该提案是根据RFA（DC-06-001）中宣布的指南制定的，旨在建立人类颞骨研究资源增强联盟。我们的目标包括：1.为前瞻性获得的颞骨评估制定定制方案。2.把所有颞骨的组织病理学报告及影像以数码形式存档，以提高已存档及新取得标本的研究及教育价值。3.开发用于颞骨研究的分子生物学测定的改进方案，特别是优化基于免疫染色和质谱的蛋白质组学的适用性，同时保留处理组织的形态的方案。4.从登记的颞骨供体中收集全面的临床信息。5.建立颞骨研究人才培养计划。6.与颞骨研究联盟合作。这项研究将提供有关听力和平衡障碍原因的新知识，这将导致更好的诊断和治疗方法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A knowledge of the pathologic basis of disease is central to the study of medicine, including disorders affecting the auditory and vestibular systems. Otology is unique in that the inner ear is inaccessible during life and so, conventional techniques of pathologic study such as biopsy and surgical excision are not feasible. Consequently, insight into the pathologic basis of ear disease can only be obtained by postmortem study of temporal bones and by developing credible animal models. An improved understanding of the pathology and pathogenesis of disorders affecting the auditory and vestibular systems should lead to more rational diagnosis and clinical management of these diseases. The procurement, processing and study of human temporal bones is a time-consuming and costly endeavor which lies outside the purview of clinical departments of pathology, and is therefore a research endeavor that is performed in temporal bone laboratories. This proposal was developed in keeping with the guidelines announced in the RFA (DC-06-001) that is meant to establish the Human Temporal Bone Consortium for Research Resource Enhancement. Our goals include the following: 1. To develop customized protocols for assessment of prospectively acquired temporal bones. 2. To archive in digital format the histopathology reports and images for all temporal bones in order to enhance the research and educational value of archival and newly acquired specimens. 3. To develop improved protocols for applying molecular biologic assays to temporal bone research, especially protocols that will optimize the applicability of immunostaining and mass spectrometry- based proteomics while preserving the morphology of the processed tissues. 4. To collect comprehensive clinical information from registered temporal bone donors. 5. To establish a program for the training of future temporal bone researchers. 6. To cooperate with the Temporal Bone Research Consortium. This research will provide new knowledge about the causes of disorders of hearing and balance, which should lead to better methods of diagnosis and therapy.