Fostering Teamwork in Collective Pursuit of Medical Breakthroughs“One of the best things about the University of Michigan is the combination of vast expertise and resources, along with the spirit of collaboration. Breakthroughs cannot be accomplished without collaboration. Every aspect of our work depends on several types of expertise — geneticists who work on the hereditary aspect; electrical engineering faculty who help design the cochlear implants. Collaboration is a strong partner to theoretical science.” Yehoash Raphael, Ph.D. |
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Yehoash Raphael wants music to be heard and enjoyed in its truest form, and his devotion to high-fidelity reproduction has made him a self-professed “audiophile.” But his interest in hearing extends far beyond music. Raphael is a leader in the areas of repair and regeneration of hair cells in the inner ear, tissue engineering technologies, and hereditary sensorineural deafness. In 2005, his lab utilized gene therapy to grow new auditory hair cells and restore hearing in deafened adult guinea pigs — a major step in the search for ways to treat hearing loss in humans.