CORE--BIOENGINEERING

The Oregon Hearing Core (OHCC) Bioengineering Core (Core 1) will support six of the OHCC users and four collaborating investigators. The purpose of the Bioengineering core is to provide engineering and software expertise and to provide electrophysiological characterization of certain animals needed in projects of the users. In engineer will design and build custom electronic and mechanical devices that solve experimental and data acquisition problems. A computer programmer will write computer software (e.g. a Lab View virtual instrument) to address the experimental needs of the users. Projects undertaken by engineer and
programmer will extend the funded work of the core users and stimulate collaborative studies between users. The programmer will help create common data bases that would allow sharing of experimental data among users. In addition, an electrophysiology technician will be available to measure (in mice, guinea pigs or gerbils) auditory brainstem responses, cochlear compound action potentials, distortion product otoacoustic emissions, and endocochlear potentials. An important activity of the technician will be to characterize the functional status of the cochlea in mutant mice produced by the OHCC Mouse Molecular Genetics Core. As for the engineer and programmer, the technician will work with Core users to extend work on supported R01s and enhance collaborative studies.