The excitement of discovery and the satisfaction of applying that knowledge to patient care are the driving forces to our research. Both basic and clinical research are fundamental to the mission of the Department of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery at UAMS. Our basic science and clinical researchers strive to find the cure for head and neck cancer, deafness, tinnitus, thyroid cancer, allergy, vascular anomalies, and other otolaryngic diseases. The department’s research division is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, the National Science Foundation, the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, NASA, several private foundations and private industry. Our Investigator also initiated clinical protocols in Head and Neck Disorders.
The Clinical Research Division also supports many investigator-initiated studies. These studies include research into tinnitus, lip carcinoma, leukoplakia (5ALA), adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary glands, pediatric airway vascular lesions, otorrhea, thyroid cancer and other diseases of the thyroid, and vocal cord paralysis.
Otology Research
Our cochlear implant program, one of the major implant programs in the country, has been funded via several mechanisms through collaborations with the UAMS Department of Neurobiology. We are currently conducting funded research in the transcranial magnetic stimulation lab on mechanisms of tinnitus control and plan to transition to mechanisms of neuromodulation after cochlear implantation.
UAMS Center for Hearing Health Access
Directed by Susan D. Emmett, M.D., MPH, and Samantha Kleindienst Robler, Au.D., Ph.D., the center’s primary focus is on research into hearing loss disparities, in an effort to improve access to care for people, particularly children, in underserved areas. The research aims to identify those who are at risk of developing hearing loss or are already experiencing it but haven’t been diagnosed, and help them easily access affordable preventive care and treatment.
The center is the only one of its kind in the world and is home to research conducted by two multi-center networks. The Global HEAR (Global Hearing Loss Evaluation, Advocacy & Research) Collaborative is an international research network that includes a multidisciplinary group of investigators from 28 countries, and HEAR USA has six sites as the United States HEAR Collaborative branch. Both collaboratives are dedicated to reducing disparities in hearing loss across the country and worldwide.
Visit the UAMS Center for Hearing Health Access website.
Arkansas Children’s Vascular Anomalies Research
The Arkansas Children’s Vascular Anomalies Research Laboratory, led by Graham Strub, MD/PhD, FACS, had another productive year marked by continued funding, trainee success, and ongoing advances in vascular anomalies research. In addition to successfully renewing its NIH R01 grant, the laboratory joined a newly funded $8 million ARPA-H multi-institutional project focused on identifying novel mutations in lymphatic malformations to develop improved targeted therapies.
The laboratory’s research program continues to focus on the development of nanoparticle-based topical microRNA therapeutics designed to modulate multiple pathogenic signaling pathways involved in vascular malformation biology and progression.
MD-PhD student Ravi Sun completed both his PhD and medical degree and matched into Otolaryngology residency at the University of Washington. The laboratory also welcomed a new MD-PhD student, Jordan Bowen, who will complete his doctoral training within the group. In addition, instructor Syed Mehdi received the Lyon Award intramural grant to study the microenvironment of arteriovenous malformations. The laboratory’s work will also be presented at this year’s International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies meeting in Philadelphia