Hearing Loss: Mechanisms, Prevention and Cure

Dr. Huawei Li, M.D. is a Professor, Chief Physician and doctoral and post doctoral mentor, and was appointed Chairman of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Affiliated Eye and ENT Hospital in 2016. His other appointments include Vice-chairman of NHC Key Laboratory of Hearing Medicine, President of the Shanghai Otolaryngology Doctors’ Association, Vice-president of Shanghai Medical Association of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgey, member of the Chinese Medical Association of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. He is also Chief Scientist of 973 National Project of China and of the National Key R&D Program of China, Specially-appointed Professor in the Yangtze River Scholar Program, Laureate of National Outstanding Youth Science Fund, Shanghai Excellent Discipline Leaders, Visiting Professor of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School. He has also received an honorary title for his outstanding contribution to NHC. His research focuses on otomicrosurgery, stem celltranscriptional regulation, and hair cell regeneration. He has published more than 100 papers, including in Nature Medicine and PNAS.Dr. Renjie Chai, Ph.D., is a Professor and Assistant Dean of the Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University. His other appointments include Vice-president of the Association of Hearing, Speech and Communication in Biophysical Society of China, executive board member of the International Association of Physicians in Audiology. He is the winner of the National Natural Science Foundation of China Excellent Youth Fund and of the 1000 Young Talents Recruitment Plan of China, and has been awarded more than 20 grants including the National Key R&D Program of China, the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Science, and a Faculty Research Award from Boehringer Ingelheim and Novartis. His research focuses on the regeneration and protection of inner ear hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons. Hehas published more than 70 papers, including in Advanced Materials, Nature Communications, and PNAS.

• Hair cell regeneration.- Hair cell Protection against ototoxic drugs induced hearing loss.- Noise Induced Cochlear Synaptopathy and Ribbon Synapse Regeneration: repair process and therapeutic target.- Protection and prevention of age-related hearing loss.- Diagnosis, Intervention and Prevention of Genetic Hearing Loss.- Protection of spiral ganglion neurons and prevention of auditory neuropathy.- Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment of Tinnitus.- Cochlear implantation and rehabilitation.- Non-implantable artificial hearing technology.- Stem cells: a new hope for hearing loss therapy