The research goals of the Kim Lab are to enhance our understanding of how hearing works and to identify pathway blockers as potential therapeutics for preventing irreversible hearing loss. The development of an innovative in vivo cochlear imaging method in hearing-preserved mice (Kim and Ricci, 2023) positions us ideally to systematically explore the properties of sound coding and processing within the cochlea and along the auditory pathway, particularly at the multicellular level. This advancement also empowers us to investigate the mechanisms of ototoxic drug transport into the cochlea in live animals.
Within our research program, we uncover how cochlear cells receive and process complex sound input through in vivo monitoring of sound-evoked multicellular activities. Furthermore, we delve into the roles played by various subtypes of spiral ganglion neurons in auditory signal processing, employing optogenetic control and in vivo monitoring of responses along the auditory pathway. Lastly, we study the transport mechanisms of ototoxic anticancer drugs via real-time, in vivo drug tracking and work towards the development of potential protective therapies. 

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