Our research team is engaged in translational work demonstrating the potential for hearing protection against hearing loss in hypertensive patients and in preclinical studies of noise exposure by administration of angiotensin receptor blockers, including losartan. This unfolding research combines our expertise in the protective physiology of the RAS with our growing clinical and research experience in the auditory system. This work represents the initial step toward a larger career goal of characterizing safe and effective pharmacologic treatments for preserving hearing in at-risk populations. Our next planned research aims, to be carried out with the support of a University of Iowa ICTS K12 Career Development Award, will take us through a series of experiments to establish losartan’s optimally effective dose and treatment timing to protect hearing after noise exposure, to interrogate the inner ear’s renin angiotensin system signaling in response to excitotoxicity in organotypic cochlear organotypic explants, and to characterize the role of angiotensin II type 2 receptors in mediating losartan’s protective effects. The scientific tools and experimental techniques that will be employed in the accomplishment of these aims will provide trainees with a solid foundation in microscopic immunohistochemistry, molecular biology and transgenic technologies, and auditory neuroscience and physiology.

Of particular relevance to the translation of preclinical results to clinical practice, we are excitedly building on this foundational research with plans in the near-term for clinical trial work designed to promote early implementation among patients of these promising early findings. In particular, we have designed a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind cross-over clinical trial of losartan as a treatment for Meniere’s Disease, a disabling inner ear disease episodically affecting hearing and balance, and which currently has no FDA approved medical therapies. As surgeon-scientist, I am enthusiastic about helping trainees experience the synergy that develops from coupling a steady surgical practice with a robust research laboratory. I am passionate about mentoring other clinicians and scientists in an ongoing effort to facilitate the rapid translation of potential pharmaceutical agents into efficacious bedside therapies for hearing perseveration, augmentation, and restoration. If you are interested in learning more about our work or inquiring about opportunities to join the team, please feel free to reach out.