Aaron Steiner
Department Chairperson
Education
PhD, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 2006
Cell and Molecular Biology
BS, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 2000
Biology
Research and Creative Works
Research Interest
Dr. Steiner's research focuses on the regeneration of sensory systems, with emphasis on sensory hair cells. These cells transduce mechanical forces in the inner ear into electrical signals that can be received and interpreted by the brain, and are responsible for our senses of hearing and balance. Hair cells are delicate and can be damaged or destroyed by loud noises and certain medicinal drugs. In humans and other mammals these cells are not naturally regenerated, leading to hearing loss. Fishes and other non-mammalian vertebrates, however, naturally regenerate hair cells throughout life. Dr. Steiner uses the zebrafish as a model system to understand the cellular and molecular processes that enable hair-cell regeneration in such animals, with the goal of identifying new routes to inducing hair-cell recovery in the human ear. His group utilizes the tools of molecular biology, advanced microscopic imaging, and large-scale gene expression analysis to reveal and characterize genes that regulate regeneration.
Courses Taught
Past Courses
BIO 101: General Biology I
BIO 102: General Biology II
BIO 123: Biology & Contemporary Society
BIO 231: Genetics
BIO 292: Bio Lbrtry Rsrch Trng
BIO 321: Developmental Biology
BIO 325: Neurobiology
BIO 335: Molecular & Cellular Biology
BIO 395: Independent Study in Biology
BIO 396: Guided Study in Biology
BIO 399: Genomics
BIO 480: Research in Biology
BIO 481: Research in Biology II
BIO 490: Intro to Rsrch in Biolgcl Sci
BIO 491: Internship in Biology
BIO 493: Major Field Test in Biology
BMB 710: Research I
BMB 711: Research II
CHE 480: Research in Chemistry
Publications and Presentations
Publications
Degradation kinetics of disulfide cross-linked microgels: Real-time monitoring by confocal microscopy
Mercer, I. G., Italiano, A. N., Gazaryan, I. G., Steiner, A. B. & Kazakov, S. V. (2023). Gels. Vol 9 , pages 782 (17 pages).
Dynamic gene expression by putative hair-cell progenitors during regeneration in the zebrafish lateral line
Steiner, A. B., Kim, T., Cabot, V. & Hudspeth, A. (2014). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Vol 111 (Issue 14) , pages E1393–E1401.
Professional Contributions and Service
Professional Memberships
- Society for Developmental Biology