Principal Investigator
Contact
Nam Lab
University of Rochester
work
Rochester
NY
Biophysics of Inner Ear Sensory Cells, Cell & Tissue Mechanics
Our laboratory investigates how inner ear sensory systems workâhow the inner ear selects and amplifies external stimuli. Inner ear sensory cells are called mechanoelectric transducers because they are mechanically stimulated by surrounding soft tissues or fluid to generate electric signals. We focus on the mechanical interaction between inner ear sensory cells and their surrounding structures. Computational and experimental methods are combined for our research. Various engineering/biological principles are incorporated such as structural acoustics, micro-fluidics, microelectromechanical systems, and electrophysiology.
Our goal is to:
- contribute to understanding sensorineural hearing and balance disorders and
- provide new insights for the design of biologically inspired mechano-transduction sensors and prosthetics.
Positions
The lab is currently recruiting graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
Recent Publications
- (2010 Jul 01). Calcium balance and mechanotransduction in rat cochlear hair cells. J Neurophysiol. 104, 18-34.
- (2010 Jun 16). Force transmission in the organ of Corti micromachine. Biophys J. 98, 2813-21.
- (2009 May 01). Localization of inner hair cell mechanotransducer channels using high-speed calcium imaging. Nat Neurosci. 12, 553-8.
