Dr. Michael Brenner receives grant to study hearing loss

From: The State Journal-Register - Sept 21, 2012

By Staff reports
GateHouse News Service

A physician at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield has been awarded a five-year, $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study mechanisms of cochlear oxidative stress injury and strategies to protect hearing.

Dr. Michael J. Brenner, director of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery and assistant professor of otolaryngology, head and neck surgery SIU, is the recipient of the Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award and principal investigator for the project.

Brenner will investigate the molecular basis for hearing loss and develop strategies for hearing protection. The research team has previously shown that the presence of free radicals and reactive oxygen species within the ear can lead to cellular stress and cell injury. The researchers will now study how targeted interference with key biochemical pathways can be used to prevent hearing loss. The research uses innovative therapeutic agents to decrease free radicals and oxidative stress within the ear.