In a sign of the growing neuroscience expertise at the Kolling Institute, internationally recognised Meniere’s disease expert Professor Jose Antonio Lopez Escamez has relocated from Spain to the institute.
Professor Lopez Escamez has launched an exciting new international research program into the disease, extending his body of work in Europe. Meniere’s disease is a rare disease of the inner ear that causes vertigo, sensory neural hearing loss and tinnitus.
Antonio will continue to collaborate with international partners in Europe, the US and the Centre for Genomics at the University of Granada, as well as new Australian-based partners.
He has established the Meniere’s Disease Neuroscience Laboratory at the Kolling Institute where he will investigate the cellular and molecular basis of the disease, as well as the genetic factors contributing to severe tinnitus. His team will also work to identify molecular targets for personalised treatment.
Antonio says his research focuses on the influence of family heritage in Meniere’s disease and new genes linked to the disease.
His current project is aiming to broaden our understanding of the genetic and inflammatory basis of the disease and tinnitus by combining multi-omic data and 3D cellular models.
“I am pleased to be starting this exciting international program to extend our understanding of the disease by studying new families with Meniere’s disease in Australia and East Asia. It’s hoped our work will ultimately help many people experiencing this condition,” he said.
“We are expanding our group here at the Meniere’s disease Neuroscience Laboratory at the Kolling and I am looking for highly motivated PhD candidates to join my team.”
Antonio comes to the Kolling Institute with a wealth of experience. He founded the Otology and Neurotology Group in Spain and is an international leader in neurotology and genetics of Meniere’s disease/tinnitus.
His research has been disseminated through major international meetings including the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, and he is the recipient of several prestigious awards including the Frontiers Spotlight 2018 Award.
Antonio is ranked among the top two per cent of researchers in the world according to the latest Stanford University study, and he has published more than 150 papers in top scientific journals in several categories including audiology, genetics and heredity, medicine, clinical and experimental and otorhinolaryngology.