Research Spotlight On Litao Tao, Ph.D.

Spotlight On: Litao Tao, Ph.D.

Hearing Health Foundation’s Hearing Restoration Project welcomed its newest member to the consortium in October 2022. Litao Tao, Ph.D., received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at China’s Tsinghua University and his doctorate at University of Southern California, where he also did postdoctoral studies. An assistant professor in the department of biomedical sciences at Creighton University in Nebraska, Tao is part of the HRP’s Cross-Species Epigenetics working group.

What is your area of focus?

We are interested in the role of epigenetic repression (i.e., chromatin architecture and histone modifications to block gene expression) in the silencing of sensory hair cell programming in the supporting cells of the mammalian cochlea. We hypothesize that in mammals, the epigenetic silencing state of hair cell genes in supporting cells hampers reactivation of those genes and hence blocks the conversion of supporting cells to hair cells, one major hair cell regeneration mechanism found in non-mammalian animals. Investigation of the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms not only helps us understand the failure of sensory hair cell regeneration in humans, but also provides potential targets for us to manipulate the epigenetic status of genes to stimulate gene expression for hair cell regeneration toward hearing restoration.

How did you decide to get into scientific research?

Chinese Taoism teaches that every movement or change in the universe is dictated by certain rules ( ) and that people become powerful if they understand those rules. When I was a little kid, I was fascinated by Taoist stories, and I started to pay close attention to natural phenomena and wanted to understand the rules behind them. Expectedly and unexpectedly, I found myself interested in science and became a scientist instead of a Taoist.

Why hearing research?

The first time I saw the structure of the human cochlea, I was immediately drawn by the delicate structure and the beauty of sensory hair cells. On top of this, I had the good fortune to work with the late Dr. Neil Segil, who was a member of HHF’s Hearing Restoration Project. Dr. Segil welcomed me as a Ph.D. student and encouraged me to study hair cell death induced by aminoglycoside antibiotics. From these ototoxicity studies conducted in the supportive environment of the Segil lab, I developed a fondness for the science of the inner ear.

Tell us about the most exciting parts of your work.

Compared with other tissues and organs, the cochlea presents unique challenges in order to be studied. This tiny organ is buried in a bony structure and contains a limited number of specialized cells. Implementing new techniques and designing novel experimental approaches to overcome these challenges is an ongoing journey in hearing research and an essential part of the job, without which many of our biggest questions would be difficult or impossible to address. The most exciting part of our work is seeing results generated successfully with these new techniques and approaches, regardless of whether they support or contradict our hypotheses.

Describe a typical day.

After dropping my daughter off at school, I begin my workday catching up on email correspondence. Then I walk into the lab to greet my lab members, and if I don’t have a lecture to give, I’ll discuss experiments with them. Next, I spend an hour or two putting together lecture materials, analyzing new datasets, or preparing presentation slides. Lunch is usually followed by student presentations, journal club discussions, seminars featuring an invited speaker, or department meetings. I spend most of my time in the afternoon in various meetings and discussions with students, lab members, colleagues, and collaborators. After finishing up any paperwork, and reading and sending a few more emails, I say goodbye to the lab and head home. When it gets dark, I spend my evenings playing basketball or jogging for a little while, and then enjoy some reading or writing before bed.

Tell us about something you enjoy doing outside the lab.

I like fishing. I used to go deep sea fishing or surf fishing once a week when I lived in Los Angeles, and now I am exploring the fun from lake fishing and river fishing in the Midwest. Staring at the float or pole tip quickly isolates me from the surrounding environment so that I can think about something without interruption from the world outside. Of course, the bites from fish always pull me back to the real world.

How has the collaborative approach helped your research?

The HRP’s collaborative effort from multiple groups working with a variety of species makes it possible to address this intriguing and important question: why the mammalian cochlea lost the capacity to regenerate sensory hair cells, while robust hair cell regeneration happens in non-mammalian animals.

What do you hope for the HRP over the next few years?

The HRP brings some of the greatest minds in auditory science together, supporting many diverse projects by encouraging collaboration and cooperation. This unique platform has greatly accelerated hearing research and played a significant role in advancing our knowledge of the inner ear. Over the next few years, I would like to see more resources allocated to projects geared toward the translational aspect of hearing research, with themes such as drug screening, gene delivery, and expression manipulation for potential therapeutic treatments. Of course, we cannot make this happen without the continued support from HHF and its generous donors.

Chinese Taoism teaches that every movement or change in the universe is dictated by certain rules and that people become powerful if they understand those rules.