Genetics of Chronic Otitis Media
Middle ear infections, also known as otitis media, affect three out of four kids by the time they’re three years old (thankfully, my son was spared). For some people, the infections never clear rendering them susceptible to hearing loss, meningitis, and other complications.
Western Australia’s Lions Ear and Hearing Institute (LEHI) will be studying the genetics of chronic otitits media with a grant from the Garnett Passe and Rodney William Memorial Foundation. Previous studies have suggested that gene therapy targeting wound healing genes may prevent scarring. Eventually, researchers hope to grow a replacement artificial human ear drum using tissue engineering.
Reminds me of this mouse with the human ear growing out of its back.
EurekAlert, April 18, 2006
I will enter a public service announcement here, if you don’t mind. According to what I have read, many kids are most susceptible to ear infections during the last half or immediately after a grwoth spurt. Some people believe its because the extra cells they’re shedding during a spurt gather in the ear. If this is a cause of ear infections in children, it can be prevented, slightly, by massaging your babies and small children behind the ear.
This can be done with a wash cloth when you wash behind their ears, with the towel when you dry behind them, and with your fingers using small, gentle, circular strokes starting from under the ear lobe, up and around the back of the ear. I started doing it when my 3 year-old son got an ear infection at 8 months. After the torture of giving him antibiotics for a week (it was a two person job), I heard about the massage and have been doingit ever since. We haven’t had any recurrences and I hope my baby girl will avoid ear infections altogether.
Do you know, is it necessary to use an animal to grow a replacement human organ? Is there a possibility to grow such organs in some nutrient medium?
Kate: That’s a great tip, Kate! Thanks!
Paul: I don’t know much about tissue engineering but I’m guessing it’s not so easy b/c with live animals, you have a live, blood-pumping organism to keep the organ alive. Not so easy to do the same in nutrient medium which is probably why we talk about genetic engineered pig hearts for human transplantation, etc.