Home Department: Human Biology
Supported by: William J. & Jill H. Shepherd
Mentor: Anthony Ricci, Medicine (Otolaryngology)
Gaby is studying the cytoarchitecture of the Organ of Corti (a structure in the cochlea of the inner ear) in gerbils to better understand how mechanical interactions between cells within the Organ of Corti amplify sound waves and give the mammalian cochlea tremendous sensitivity and frequency selectivity. She aims to obtain 3D quantitative data to generate a mechanical model of the gerbil cochlea with details about the arrangement and behavior of different Organ of Corti cells. Mechanical models of the cochlea allow for functional characterization of changes arising from pathologies, genetic alterations, and future interventions, such as implantations and the regeneration of cochlear substructures using stem cells.
Poster presented at the Stanford Bio-X Interdisciplinary Initiatives Symposium on August 24, 2016:
In-situ Two-Photon Imaging of the Gerbil Organ of Corti
Gabriela M. Steiner1.2, Sunil Puria1,2, Anthony J. Ricci1,2
[Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery1 and Otobiomechanics Research Group2, Stanford University]
