Keynote speaker

Lisa Schimmenti, M.D.
Can you hear me now? Zebrafish, a model for human genetic deafness

I'm honored to be the keynote speaker for the 2019 Celebration of Research, hosted by Mayo Clinic.

While I'm a chair the Department of Clinical Genomics and an otorhinolaryngologist in the clinic, my research interests are focused on genetic conditions associated with hearing and vision loss.

For children and families impacted by rare or undiagnosed genetic conditions, special methods for careful clinical observation and documentation joined with sophisticated genomic and functional techniques can provide an answer to a long diagnostic odyssey.

My hope is to improve patient care through identification of precision medicine-based novel therapies for hearing loss and to develop improved algorithms to reach a diagnosis in individuals with undiagnosed and rare diseases.

In my research, I'm using zebrafish as a model for human hearing and vision. Zebrafish are small freshwater fish whose genome is nearly 70 percent identical to humans. Zebrafish serve as an important model for human conditions and can be used to screen for novel therapeutics to treat hearing loss and other human genetic conditions.

Research is a fascinating journey — one that has led to many exciting discoveries for better treatments for devastating illness and disease.

I encourage you to read my research profile and at least one of my publications prior to the event.

I look forward to your participation in the Mayo Clinic 2019 Celebration of Research.

• Lisa Schimmenti, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, Mayo Clinic
  • Keynote speaker, 2019 Celebration of Research