For my main entry , see my site in the Vision Touch and Hearing Research Centre. Cochlear function Jim Pickles' research concentrates on the function, development, regeneration, and pathology of the hair cells of the cochlea. The work is a development of the discovery of 'tip links', fine macromolecular strands that interconnect the tips of the mechanosensitive hairs or stereocilia on the cells, enabling the cells to detect sound. One aim is to identify the mechanotransducer channels on the hair cell stereocilia. Further aims are to understand initial cochlear development, the role of growth factors and receptor tyrosine kinases in the development of hair cells, and the repair and regeneration of hair cells after damage.
Current techniques involve mRNA analysis and immunocytochemistry.