National Resource Network for the Study of Human Auditory and Vestibular Disorders

The National Institutes on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) seeks to advance its mission by continuing to support a collaborative network, NIDCD National Human Ear Resource Network, which serves as a critical national technological resource for auditory and vestibular researchers who use human inner and middle ear tissues for basic and clinical studies focused on understanding human auditory and vestibular disorders. In collaboration with NIDCD and other Network laboratories, each laboratory is anticipated to advance the use of human ear tissue in biomedical research by developing and providing technical services for procuring, preparing, sectioning and distributing high-quality human ear tissues; developing and disseminating techniques for improved tissue preservation and processing; uploading digitized temporal bone images to NIDCD-approved databases for wide dissemination; and providing opportunities for technical instruction in the special skills needed to prepare ear tissue for use from post-mortem human temporal bones.