Professor Marcelo Rivolta
School of Biosciences
Professor of Sensory Stem Cell Biology
+44 114 222 2385
Full contact details
School of Biosciences
Firth Court
Western Bank
91Ö±²¥
S10 2TN
- Profile
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- 2013-present: Professor of Sensory Stem Cell Biology, School of Biosciences, University of 91Ö±²¥. UK.
- 2012-2013: Reader in Sensory Stem Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical Science, University of 91Ö±²¥. UK.
- 2003-2011: Senior Research Fellow, Department of Biomedical Science, University of 91Ö±²¥. UK.
- 2001-2003: Research Fellow, Department of Biomedical Science, University of 91Ö±²¥. UK.
- 1998-2001: Research Fellow, Department of Physiology, University of Bristol. UK.
- 1995-1998: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Physiology, University of Bristol. UK.
- 1992-1995: Ph.D., NIH. Bethesda, Maryland, USA and University of Córdoba, Argentina.
- 1992-1995: Visiting Associate at the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, NIDCD, NIH. Bethesda. Maryland. USA.
- 1992-1991: Visiting Fellow at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, NIDCD, NIH. Bethesda. Maryland. USA.
- 1989-1991: Visiting Fellow at the Laboratory of Cellular Biology, NIDCD, NIH. Bethesda. Maryland. USA.
- 1989: M.D. School of Medicine, University of Córdoba. Argentina.
- 1984-1989: Research Assistant. Institute of Cell Biology and Department of Histology, Embryology and Genetics. School of Medicine, University of Córdoba. Argentina.
- Research interests
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Deafness is a major public health issue worldwide, with more than 3 million people in the UK alone enduring a moderate to profound hearing loss. The Rivolta laboratory is dedicated to study the biology and behaviour of auditory stem cells (primarily human) and to explore their potential to regenerate the damaged inner ear.
Regenerative therapies for hearing loss: The development and use of human stem cells
Hearing loss has substantial personal, social and economic implications. It is most commonly caused by damage to the sensory hair cells and/or the auditory neurons in the cochlea. One possible therapeutic path would be to use otic progenitors generated in vitro to functionally replace the damaged cells.
Our group has made key advances developing stem cell technologies into a potentially viable therapy. We isolated a population of stem cells from the human fetal cochlea, and we have developed robust protocols to drive otic differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells.
We also have established the proof of concept that hESC-derived otic progenitors can repair the damaged cochlea. We demonstrated that transplanted cells can graft into an animal model of auditory neuropathy, and elicit functional recovery as measured by auditory brainstem thresholds.
In an integrative regenerative medicine strategy, we are now exploring the combination of stem cells with cochlear implants, aiming to develop a true bionic implant. This device should conceptually combine stem cells with stimulatory electrodes.
For this we are developing animal models of cell transplantation and implantation. On a parallel strategy, we are also using stem cells to develop in vitro platforms that would facilitate drug discovery and analysis.
We have several collaborations with industry and academia, within the UK as well as worldwide. We are part of Otostem, an international consortium with partners in Stanford, Harvard, Geneva, Uppsala, Tübigen and Marseille.
- Publications
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Show: Featured publications All publications
Featured publications
Journal articles
All publications
Journal articles
- . Scientific Reports, 12, 1-6.
- . International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(5).
- . Stem Cells Translational Medicine.
- . Stem Cells International, 2020.
- . Chemical Science, 11(1), 232-240.
- . Hearing Research.
- . The Anatomical Record.
- . Regenerative Medicine, 13(8), 935-944.
- . PLoS ONE, 12(10).
- . Cytotechnology, 68(5), 1849-1858.
- . The Journal of Laryngology & Otology, 130(S3), S137-S137.
- . Hearing, Balance and Communication, 13(4), 148-152.
- . Hearing Research, 325, 12-26.
- . Br Med Bull, 105, 69-84.
- . Regen Med, 7(6), 757-767.
- . Regen Med, 7(6), 769-783.
- . Nature, 490(7419), 278-282.
- . Front Biosci (Schol Ed), 4, 121-132.
- . Curr Drug Targets, 11(7), 888-897.
- . Drug Discov Today, 15(7-8), 283-286.
- . Nat Neurosci, 13(1), 45-52.
- . Stem Cells, 27(5), 1196-1204.
- . Hear Res, 233(1-2), 23-29.
- . Eur J Neurosci, 25(4), 957-973.
- . Eur J Neurosci, 22(2), 343-353.
- . Dev Dyn, 231(4), 801-814.
- . Mech Dev, 121(3), 287-299.
- . J Neurobiol, 53(2), 306-318.
- . Exp Cell Res, 278(1), 19-30.
- . Genome Res, 12(7), 1091-1099.
- . Brain Res Dev Brain Res, 133(1), 49-56.
- . J Comp Neurol, 442(4), 378-391.
- . Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 126(10), 1244-1248.
- Calcium signalling mediated by the 9 acetylcholine receptor in a cochlear cell line from the Immortomouse.. J Physiol, 527(Pt 1), 49-54.
- Calcium signalling mediated by the 9 acetylcholine receptor in a cochlear cell line from the immortomouse.. J Physiol, 527 Pt 1, 49-54.
- . American Journal of Otolaryngology, 21(1), 130-134.
- Asymmetric segregation of m-numb may play a role in the generation of different cell types in the mammalian inner ear. EUR J NEUROSCI, 12, 492-492.
- Expression of membrane currents during conditional differentiation of cell lines from the mouse embryonic cochlea. EUR J NEUROSCI, 12, 493-493.
- GATA3 and Pax2 expression in the mammalian inner ear during early development.. EUR J NEUROSCI, 12, 132-132.
- Differentiation of mammalian vestibular hair cells from conditionally immortal, postnatal supporting cells.. J Neurosci, 19(21), 9445-9458.
- . Proc Biol Sci, 265(1406), 1595-1603.
- . J Neurocytol, 27(9), 637-647.
- Cholinergic and voltage-activated currents expressed in a cochlear cell line derived from the Immortomouse (TM). J PHYSIOL-LONDON, 509P, 189P-190P.
- Timed markers for the differentiation of the cuticular plate and stereocilia in hair cells from the mouse inner ear.. J Comp Neurol, 395(1), 18-28.
- GATA3 is downregulated during hair cell differentiation in the mouse cochlea. Brain Cell Biology, 27(9), 637-647.
- GATA-3 is down regulated during hair cell differentiation in the mouse cochlea. British Journal of Audiology, 32(2), 74-75.
- Conditional expression of the alpha 9 acetylcholine receptor subunit in immortalized cell lines from the mouse cochlea.. J PHYSIOL-LONDON, 504P, P126-P126.
- Conditional immortalization of supporting cells from mammalian vestibular sensory epithelia.. J PHYSIOL-LONDON, 504P, P128-P129.
- . Audiology and Neuro-Otology, 2(1-2), 1-2.
- . Audiol Neurootol, 2(1-2), 1-2.
- . Audiol Neurootol, 2(1-2), 36-49.
- . Biochim Biophys Acta, 1306(2-3), 127-132.
- . Biochim Biophys Acta, 1232(1-2), 1-4.
- . Nucleic Acids Res, 23(13), 2565-2566.
- . Biochim Biophys Acta, 1236(1), 207-211.
- . Brain Res Mol Brain Res, 21(3-4), 355-358.
- . Methods Cell Biol, 39, 179-190.
- GENERATION OF EXPRESSED SEQUENCE TAGS FOR MOUSE-LIVER GENES USING UNFRACTIONATED CDNA PRIMARY LIBRARIES CONSTRUCTED IN M13. HEPATOLOGY, 16(4), A189-A189.
- A NOVEL ZINC FINGER ENCODING GENE IS EXPRESSED IN THE ORGAN OF CORTI. MOL BIOL CELL, 3, A202-A202.
- . Hum Mol Genet, 1(3), 215.
- . International journal of pancreatology, 8(2).
- PRELIMINARY CHARACTERIZATION OF AN ACTIN BASED ORGANELLE TRANSLOCATOR FROM NITELLA. BIOPHYS J, 57(2), A535-A535.
- A Feulgen microspectrophotometric study of the DNA content of essential fatty acid-deficient rat pancreas treated with nitrosomethylurea.. Cell Mol Biol, 36(5), 547-555.
- . PLoS ONE, 4(9), e7144-e7144.
Chapters
- , Regenerative Medicine - from Protocol to Patient (pp. 247-281). Springer International Publishing
- , Regenerative Medicine (pp. 793-821). Springer Netherlands
- , Progenitor and Stem Cell Technologies and Therapies (pp. 282-308). Elsevier
- , Progenitor and Stem Cell Technologies and Therapies (pp. xv-xix). Elsevier
- , Regenerative Medicine (pp. 647-673). Springer Netherlands
- , Trends in Stem Cell Biology and Technology (pp. 261-282).
- , Genes, Hearing, and Deafness (pp. 289-298). CRC Press
- , Genes, Hearing, and Deafness (pp. 279-287). CRC Press
- Stem cells in the inner ear: Advancing towards a new therapy for hearing impairment, Genes, Hearing, and Deafness: From Molecular Biology to Clinical Practice (pp. 279-287).
- (pp. 71-92).
- , Hair Cell Regeneration, Repair, and Protection (pp. 257-307). Springer New York
Conference proceedings papers
- Modelling vestibular hypofunction for the assessment of cell based therapies. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 30(8) (pp A23-A23)
- Inner ear hair cell differentiation of hESC-derived otic epithelial progenitor cells in 3D and 2D cultures. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 30(8) (pp A24-A24)
- Defining the immunological properties of hESC-derived otic neural progenitors in the context of the gerbil auditory neuropathy model. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 30(8) (pp A13-A13)
- Combining stem cells and cochlear electrode arrays: towards a true 'bionic' ear. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 28(8) (pp A17-A17)
- Advances in the generation of GMP-compliant protocols for the differentiation of otic progenitors from clinical-grade human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC). HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 28(8) (pp A27-A27)
- Purification of hESC-derived otic progenitors from heterogeneous cell populations. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 28(8) (pp A27-A27)
- Manipulating Wnt signalling to improve the generation of otic progenitors from human pluripotent stem cells. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 28(8) (pp A27-A27)
- Identification and characterisation of a neural crest-related stem cell (NCSC) population from DPCs for auditory and peripheral nerve regeneration. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 28(8) (pp A26-A26)
- The role of FGF signalling during otic differentiation in human embryonic stem cells. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 24(5) (pp A22-A23)
- Generation of otic lineages from human induced pluripotent stem cells. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 24(5) (pp A26-A27)
- TRANSPLANTATION OF HUMAN ESCS-DERIVED OTIC NEUROPROGENITOR CELLS (ONPS) INTO THE DEAFENED GERBIL COCHLEA: SURVIVAL, DIFFERENTIATION AND FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY. J NEUROCHEM, Vol. 115 (pp 35-35)
- GATA3 is expressed in progenitors of supporting cells, hair cells and spiral ganglion cells during cochlear development in the mouse. BRITISH JOURNAL OF AUDIOLOGY, Vol. 34(2) (pp 78-79)
- An ear in a test tube. BRITISH JOURNAL OF AUDIOLOGY, Vol. 34(2) (pp 77-77)
Preprints
- Research group
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Postgraduate PhD opportunities
We advertise PhD opportunities (Funded or Self-Funded) on FindAPhD.com
- Grants
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- Medical Research Council
- European Union
- Teaching activities
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Undergraduate:
- BMS382 Stem Cell Biology (Co-ordinator)
- Level 3 Practical and Dissertation Modules
Masters (Msc):
- BMS6051 - Retrieval and Evaluation of Research Information (Co-ordinator)
- BMS6056 Stem Cell Biology (Co-ordinator)
- Professional activities and memberships
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- Reviewer for leading scientific journals.
- Reviewer for research proposals submitted to Action on Hearing Loss, Deafness Research UK, The Wellcome Trust, MRC, BBSRC and other funding bodies.
- Invited speaker at several national and international meetings.
- Trustee of the charity ‘The Ear Foundation’
Invited to give numerous seminars, opening and plenary lectures.
In the media