One day soon, the 50,000 Americans destined to be diagnosed with head and neck cancer annually could learn with a simple test that they could develop the deadly disease long before the first lesion appears in their mouth. If so, the breakthrough will have been enabled by the research of a Miller School otolaryngologist, the passions of a Georgia attorney and the office that united them.
The Miller School’s Xue Zhong Liu, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of otolaryngology and human genetics, has received a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue his search for genetic causes for hearing loss in humans.
Fifth-graders at North Beach Elementary experienced first hand what it’s like to live with a disability, thanks to an innovative program held recently at the school, 4100 Prairie Ave., Miami Beach.
The dramatic and inspiring story of a couple’s three-month-old son was recently produced as an episode of Breakthrough Medicine, the televised special reports showcasing unique programs at UHealth.
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Dr. Simon Angeli, professor of clinical otolaryngology at the University of Miami-Miller School of medicine and co-director of UM’s Miami Ear Institute, said hearing loss is the most common disorder of the senses. The causes of hearing loss in children can be divided into two groups: genetic and acquired cases,” said Angeli. Acquired cases of hearing loss include prematurity, low birth weight, viral infections, sepsis and exposure to some medications.