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FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Jessica Mullen, Director of Program Services 803-2525-5200
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Research on Genetic Causes of Hearing Loss
Funded by March of Dimes South Carolina Chapter
(Columbia, South Carolina), AUGUST 7, 2007—Matthew Tyska, PhD, Assistant Professor,
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., has been
awarded a Basil O’Connor Starter Research Grant funded by the March of Dimes South Carolina Chapter.
This $75,000 grant will help Dr. Tyska launch his independent research project aimed at understanding
the role of a gene in causing some cases of hearing impairment in infants and children.
For nearly 70 years, March of Dimes grantees have achieved a remarkable track record of
lifesaving breakthroughs for babies. One way the March of Dimes seeks to ensure ongoing progress in the
fight to save babies is by encouraging some of the nation’s most promising young scientists, like Dr.
Tyska, to commit to careers in birth defects research. This is the goal of the Basil O’Connor Starter
Research Grants Program, which the March of Dimes began in 1973. More than 2,000 young researchers
have received the award since then. The greater majority have continued research on birth defects, four
have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and one is the Director of the National
Human Genome Research Institute.
Hearing impairment is one of the most common birth defects, affecting at least one in 1,000
children. The majority of cases are believed to be genetic, although the underlying genetic defect in many
cases is unknown. Dr. Tyska is studying the role of a gene (myosin 1-a) in the development of the inner ear
for insight into how mutations (changes) in this gene may contribute to hearing loss. What is learned from
this study could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of hearing impairment.
Dr. Tyska received his doctorate in molecular physiology and biophysics from the University of
Vermont in Burlington in 1999. Following this, he did postdoctoral research at Yale University in New
Haven, CT. He joined Vanderbilt University in 2004.
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March of Dimes funds research on genetic causes of hearing loss, p.2
Last year, the South Carolina March of Dimes chapter invested more than $4.2 million in program
services, including research grants and local community services. Through these grants, the March of
Dimes is seeking ways to prevent birth defects and infant death, reduce South Carolina’s increasing
premature birth rate, increase access to prenatal care and educate men and women about having healthy
babies.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health
of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of
Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003
launched a campaign to reduce the rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of
Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish Web language site at nacersano.org.
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