We are interested in :-

1) The Fluids of the Inner Ear, perilymph and endolymph

2) The Barriers of the Ear, controlling how substances enter, leave and distribute in the ear

3) Local Drug Delivery to the Inner Ear, a better way to get drugs into the ear

4) Computer Simulations of Drug Distribution in the Ear, using physics to help understand the system

The iillustrations across the top are:

(Left) From an experiment performed back in the 1980's in which the perilymphatic spaces of a guinea pig inner ear were filled with orange latex and the endolymph spaces with dark blue latex. The bone surrounding the cochlea was then dissected away. This picture was our first ever 3D view of the inner ear's fluid spaces.

(Middle) Digital 3D reconstruction of the fluid spaces of the guinea pig ear generated from virtual slices obtained with an optical sectioning technique. Yellow:scala tympani; Green: scala vestibuli; Blue:endolymph; Cyan: round window; Brown: stapes. This allows us to accurately quantify the dimensions of each of the fluid and tissue spaces of the ear for use in computer models.

(Right) A mid-modiolar histologic section through the guinea pig ear, showing the membranous and cellular structures inside. 

Since September 2021 the Salt Lab has been at Turner Scientific. 

They are a CRO in Jacksonville, Illinois, providing a positive, exciting environment where we can help bring new drug therapies for the ear to the clinic.

The FluidSim Page (updated October 2, 2023)

Inner Ear Fluids Simulation Program

FluidSim now includes setup files to simulate the ears of 8 species, including guinea pigs, humans, mice, rats, cats, sheep, pigs and cynomolgus monkeys.