Professor Marcelo Rivolta
School of Biosciences
Professor of Sensory Stem Cell Biology
m.n.rivolta@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 2385
+44 114 222 2385
Firth Court
Full contact details
Professor Marcelo Rivolta
School of Biosciences
Firth Court
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
School of Biosciences
Firth Court
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
- Profile
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- 2013-present: Professor of Sensory Stem Cell Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield. UK.
- 2012-2013: Reader in Sensory Stem Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield. UK.
- 2003-2011: Senior Research Fellow, Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield. UK.
- 2001-2003: Research Fellow, Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield. 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
- Inner ear progenitor cells can be generated in vitro from human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.. Regen Med, 7(6), 757-767.
- Restoration of auditory evoked responses by human ES-cell-derived otic progenitors.. Nature, 490(7419), 278-282. View this article in WRRO
- Human fetal auditory stem cells can be expanded in vitro and differentiate into functional auditory neurons and hair cell-like cells.. Stem Cells, 27(5), 1196-1204.
All publications
Journal articles
- Unlocking the human inner ear for therapeutic intervention. Scientific Reports, 12, 1-6.
- Neural crest-derived stem cells (NCSCs) obtained from dental-related stem cells (DRSCs) : a literature review on current knowledge and directions toward translational applications. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(5). View this article in WRRO
- Establishment and neural differentiation of neural crest-derived stem cells
(NCSCs) from human dental pulp in serum-free conditions. Stem Cells Translational Medicine. View this article in WRRO
- Generation of otic lineages from integration-free human-induced pluripotent stem cells reprogrammed by mRNAs. Stem Cells International, 2020. View this article in WRRO
- Probing the mechanism for hydrogel-based stasis induction in human pluripotent stem cells : is the chemical functionality of the hydrogel important?. Chemical Science, 11(1), 232-240. View this article in WRRO
- The use of animal models to study cell transplantation in neuropathic hearing loss. Hearing Research. View this article in WRRO
- Building an Artificial Stem Cell Niche: Prerequisites for Future 3D‐Formation of Inner Ear Structures ‐ Towards 3D Inner Ear Biotechnology –. The Anatomical Record. View this article in WRRO
- Science-based assessment of source materials for cell-based medicines: report of a stakeholders workshop. Regenerative Medicine, 13(8), 935-944. View this article in WRRO
- Neuronal differentiation of hair-follicle-bulge-derived stem cells co-cultured with mouse cochlear modiolus explants. PLoS ONE, 12(10). View this article in WRRO
- Isolation, expansion and neural differentiation of stem cells from human plucked hair: a further step towards autologous nerve recovery. Cytotechnology, 68(5), 1849-1858. View this article in WRRO
- Stem cells and their potential for the restoration of hearing. The Journal of Laryngology & Otology, 130(S3), S137-S137.
- Developing a stem cell-based therapy for the treatment of hearing loss. Hearing, Balance and Communication, 13(4), 148-152.
- Aminoglycoside ototoxicity and hair cell ablation in the adult gerbil: A simple model to study hair cell loss and regeneration. Hearing Research, 325, 12-26. View this article in WRRO
- New strategies for the restoration of hearing loss: challenges and opportunities.. Br Med Bull, 105, 69-84.
- Inner ear progenitor cells can be generated in vitro from human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.. Regen Med, 7(6), 757-767.
- Generation of inner ear sensory cells from bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cells.. Regen Med, 7(6), 769-783.
- Restoration of auditory evoked responses by human ES-cell-derived otic progenitors.. Nature, 490(7419), 278-282. View this article in WRRO
- Neural crest stem cells and their potential application in a therapy for deafness.. Front Biosci (Schol Ed), 4, 121-132.
- Stem cell based therapy in the inner ear: appropriate donor cell types and routes for transplantation.. Curr Drug Targets, 11(7), 888-897.
- Stem cells and cell lines from the human auditory organ: applications, hurdles and bottlenecks in the development of regenerative therapies for deafness.. Drug Discov Today, 15(7-8), 283-286.
- Synaptotagmin IV determines the linear Ca2+ dependence of vesicle fusion at auditory ribbon synapses.. Nat Neurosci, 13(1), 45-52. View this article in WRRO
- Human fetal auditory stem cells can be expanded in vitro and differentiate into functional auditory neurons and hair cell-like cells.. Stem Cells, 27(5), 1196-1204.
- The human fetal cochlea can be a source for auditory progenitors/stem cells isolation.. Hear Res, 233(1-2), 23-29.
- A model for mammalian cochlear hair cell differentiation in vitro: effects of retinoic acid on cytoskeletal proteins and potassium conductances.. Eur J Neurosci, 25(4), 957-973.
- Differentiation of an auditory neuronal cell line suitable for cell transplantation.. Eur J Neurosci, 22(2), 343-353.
- Ventral otic cell lines as developmental models of auditory epithelial and neural precursors.. Dev Dyn, 231(4), 801-814.
- GATA3 and NeuroD distinguish auditory and vestibular neurons during development of the mammalian inner ear.. Mech Dev, 121(3), 287-299.
- Cell lines in inner ear research.. J Neurobiol, 53(2), 306-318.
- E-cadherin and the differentiation of mammalian vestibular hair cells.. Exp Cell Res, 278(1), 19-30.
- Transcript profiling of functionally related groups of genes during conditional differentiation of a mammalian cochlear hair cell line.. Genome Res, 12(7), 1091-1099.
- Asymmetric segregation of mitochondria and mortalin correlates with the multi-lineage potential of inner ear sensory cell progenitors in vitro.. Brain Res Dev Brain Res, 133(1), 49-56.
- Expression of the transcription factors GATA3 and Pax2 during development of the mammalian inner ear.. J Comp Neurol, 442(4), 378-391.
- Notch signaling and the emergence of auditory hair cells.. 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.
- Identification of differentiating cochlear hair cells in vitro. 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. View this article in WRRO
- Auditory hair cell precursors immortalized from the mammalian inner ear.. Proc Biol Sci, 265(1406), 1595-1603.
- GATA3 is downregulated during hair cell differentiation in the mouse cochlea.. 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.
- Editorial. Audiology and Neuro-Otology, 2(1-2), 1-2.
- Research in otology.. Audiol Neurootol, 2(1-2), 1-2.
- Transcription factors in the ear: molecular switches for development and differentiation.. Audiol Neurootol, 2(1-2), 36-49.
- A novel zinc finger gene preferentially expressed in the retina and the organ of Corti localizes to human chromosome 12q24.3.. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1306(2-3), 127-132.
- A soluble motor from the alga Nitella supports fast movement of actin filaments in vitro.. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1232(1-2), 1-4.
- A novel and simple methodology to generate subtracted cDNA libraries.. Nucleic Acids Res, 23(13), 2565-2566.
- Cloning of an organ of Corti anion exchanger 2 isoform with a truncated C-terminal domain.. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1236(1), 207-211.
- G protein Gi2 alpha in the cochlea: cloning and selective occurrence in receptor cells.. Brain Res Mol Brain Res, 21(3-4), 355-358.
- Myosin-mediated vesicular transport in the extruded cytoplasm of characean algae cells.. 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.
- The PAX3 gene is mapped to human chromosome 2 together with a highly informative CA dinucleotide repeat.. Hum Mol Genet, 1(3), 215.
- Multicentric focal acinar cell hyperplasia and hepatocyte-like cell metaplasia are induced by nitrosomethylurea in rat pancreas. 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.
- Genomic Analysis of the Function of the Transcription Factor gata3 during Development of the Mammalian Inner Ear. PLoS ONE, 4(9), e7144-e7144. View this article in WRRO
Chapters
- The Development of a Stem Cell Therapy for Deafness, Regenerative Medicine - from Protocol to Patient (pp. 247-281). Springer International Publishing
- The Development of a Stem Cell Therapy for Deafness, Regenerative Medicine (pp. 793-821). Springer Netherlands
- Auditory progenitor stem cell biology and therapy, Progenitor and Stem Cell Technologies and Therapies (pp. 282-308). Elsevier
- Contributor contact details, Progenitor and Stem Cell Technologies and Therapies (pp. xv-xix). Elsevier
- The Development of a Stem Cell Therapy for Deafness, Regenerative Medicine (pp. 647-673). Springer Netherlands
- Neural differentiation of human embryonic stem cells and their potential application in a Therapy for sensorineural Hearing Loss, Trends in Stem Cell Biology and Technology (pp. 261-282).
- Stem cells in the inner ear: advancing towards a new therapy for hearing impairment, Genes, Hearing, and Deafness (pp. 289-298). CRC Press
- Stem cells in the inner ear, 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).
- Generation of inner ear cell types from embryonic stem cells. (pp. 71-92).
- Gene Arrays, Cell Lines, Stem Cells, and Sensory Regeneration in Mammalian Ears, 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
- Optimising 3D scaffold for otic neural progenitor differentiation, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Inner ear progenitor cells can be generated in vitro from human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.. Regen Med, 7(6), 757-767.
- 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