The Santa Maria Lab is awarded NIH R01 funding to investigate hearing loss

The NIDCD has awarded the Santa Maria Lab a 5 year R01 grant to explore why patients with chronic suppurative otitis media lose sensory hearing. This work grew out of their novel animal model where they discussed likely immunological mechanisms associated with hearing loss. Through the grant the lab hopes to understand the link between the infection in the ear and permanent hearing loss in the hopes of discovering a therapeutic target for preventing of treating chronic infectious related hearing loss.