Massachusetts Eye and Ear/ Harvard Initiative for the NIDCD National Human Ear Resource Network

项目摘要 这项加入NIDCD国家人耳资源网络的建议汇集了一位国际专家的技能， 在获得性和遗传性疾病的组织病理学研究方面具有数十年经验的研究人员联盟 听力和平衡障碍，并在人类颞骨最大的收藏之一的策展， (TB)世界上的标本。因为耳朵不能进行活检，而非侵入性成像还不能 提供细胞水平的分辨率，深入了解耳聋和平衡障碍的病理基础， 从尸检中取出的结核病研究来看，结核病通常是脱钙的，塑料嵌入的， 连续切片，然后用苏木精和伊红（H&E）染色用于病理学研究。 在目标1中，我们继续积累和处理人类TB，记录组织病理学， 医学/耳科历史，并将去识别数据上传到可搜索的数据库， 所有H& E染色的载玻片集的图像，以启动更广泛的合作，在研究人类 耳病理学我们还将继续向研究人员分发结核病档案中的未染色切片， 对特定疾病进行额外的形态学、分子生物学或遗传学研究。 在目标2中，我们从三个关键方面加强了人类结核病研究的技术：首先（目标2a），通过完善 一种新的包埋（甲基丙烯酸甲酯）和切片（激光切片术）方法，更便宜， 比火棉胶更快，允许对未脱钙骨和耳石进行形态学和化学分析， 对蛋白质和RNA/DNA的破坏性较小;第二（目标2b），通过对完整的 通过高分辨率X射线断层扫描，通过将细胞类型特异性免疫标记物与 重金属和开发软件，自动提取定量组织病理学数据， 第三（目标2c），通过开发和应用DNA提取技术， 来自供体组织样品和/或火棉胶TB的全外显子组测序，以鉴定致病性变体 在我们的档案中，有许多遗传性听力损失的病例，在生活中没有进行基因分型。 在目标3中，我们努力通过赞助奖学金， 组织国家专题讨论会，并通过实际操作课程编写和传播培训材料， 在线教程，技术手册上的经典和新颖的技术所需的采购，加工 和组织病理学分析。

Project Summary This proposal to join the NIDCD National Human Ear Resource Network pools the skills of an international consortium of researchers with decades of experience in the histopathological study of acquired and hereditary disorders of hearing and balance, and in the curation of one of the largest collections of human temporal-bone (TB) specimens in the world. Because the ear cannot be biopsied, and non-invasive imaging cannot yet provide cellular level resolution, insight into the pathologies underlying deafness and balance disorders derives from the study of TBs removed at autopsy, which classically have been decalcified, plastic-embedded and serially sectioned, with a subset then stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) for pathological study. In Aim 1, we continue to accrue and process human TBs, document the histopathology and medical/otologic history, and upload the de-identified data to a searchable database, along with digitized images of all the H&E-stained slide sets, to jumpstart more widespread collaborations in the study of human otopathology. We will also continue to distribute unstained sections from our TB archives to researchers for additional morphological, molecular biological or genetic studies of particular disorders. In Aim 2, we enhance techniques for human TB study in three key ways: first (Aim 2a), by perfecting a novel approach to embedding (methyl methacrylate) and sectioning (laser microtomy) that is cheaper and faster than celloidin, allows morphological and chemical analysis of undecalcified bone and otoconia, and is less destructive to protein and RNA/DNA; second (Aim 2b), by pursuing the ex vivo imaging of intact cochleas via high-resolution x-ray tomography, enhanced by coupling celltype-specific immunomarkers to heavy metals and by developing software to automate extraction of quantitative histopathological data from these 3D image stacks; and third (Aim 2c), by developing and applying techniques for DNA extraction and whole-exome sequencing from donor tissue samples and/or celloidin TBs, to identify the pathogenic variants responsible for the numerous hereditary hearing loss cases in our archives that were not genotyped during life. In Aim 3, we strive to accelerate the pace of discovery in human otopathology by sponsoring fellowships, organizing national symposia and by creating and disseminating training materials, via hands-on courses, online tutorials, technical manuals on the classic and novel techniques needed for the procurement, processing and histopathological analysis of human temporal bones.