Dan Jagger is a Professor in Cell Physiology. He studies mechanisms of cochlear homeostasis and sensory transduction, and the cellular basis of hearing loss in ciliary diseases. Recent research in his lab has been supported by RNID, the Rosetrees Trust and the BBSRC.
Profile
I am a physiologist with a research history in auditory cell electrophysiology. Following a PhD at the University of Bristol, I worked with Gary Housley at the University of Auckland. Whilst there I investigated the development of electrical signalling in spiral ganglion neurons (afferent neurons innervating hair cells), including the role of purinergic neurotransmission and ion channels. After returning to UCL I was awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship (2003-2011). During this fellowship I worked closely with Andy Forge at the Ear Institute to study the role of gap junctions in the cochlea. More recently I have worked on the roles of primary cilia in hearing, and have returned to the auditory nerve to investigate various elements of neuronal and glial signalling.
Current research in my lab falls into 3 related areas:
Homeostasis in the inner ear
Normal hearing relies on the maintenance of a constant chemical environment within the tissues of the inner ear.
Signalling in the auditory nerve
Spiral ganglion neurons (SGN) are the first nerve cells in the auditory pathway.
The roles of primary cilia in hearing
Cilia are antenna-like membrane-associated structures which play essential roles during development, and during the normal function of many cells throughout the body.