Home Department: Engineering
Mentor: Konstantina Stankovic (Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery)

“Pathophysiology of Vestibular Schwannoma in Mice Models with Engineering Applications"

Hearing loss disables half a billion people worldwide, and a subset have sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) caused by vestibular schwannoma (VS), an intracranial tumor of the 8th nerve sheath. While this tumor is histologically benign, it is malignant by location because of its proximity to the brainstem. Currently there are no FDA-approved pharmacological therapies for VS or the associated SNHL. To address this major unmet medical need, the Stankovic lab will use a mouse model of VS, which entails nerve grafting of tumor cells and testing of novel molecularly-targeted therapies. The proposed experiments have potential to improve treatment options and patient outcomes.