Noted developmental biologist Andy Groves has been named head of the Department of Developmental Biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He studies the intricate, step-by-step processes that lead to the development of the inner ear, with the goal of better understanding the ear’s workings and spurring new treatments for hearing loss. Groves’ appointment will begin April 7.
Groves comes to WashU Medicine from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he is the Vivian L. Smith Endowed Chair in Neuroscience and a professor in the departments of Neuroscience and Molecular & Human Genetics. His appointment was announced by David H. Perlmutter, MD, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs, the George and Carol Bauer Dean of the School of Medicine, and the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor.
“I am so pleased to announce that Andy Groves will be the next head of the Department of Developmental Biology at WashU Medicine,” Perlmutter said. “Our leadership team is deeply impressed by his scientific accomplishments, vision and enthusiasm. We believe he can take the reins of a department that has made myriad significant contributions to the field of developmental biology and propel our faculty and students into the next era of this very important field, from traditional areas of organ and tissue development to aging, as well as the burgeoning fields of regeneration and reprogramming.”
Groves’ research, continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the past 25 years, focuses on how tiny hair cells in the inner ear develop as an embryo grows, and play a critical role in hearing and balance. When damage — caused by aging, noise exposure and other influences — leads to hair cell loss, any remaining cells cannot regenerate to create new ones. For that reason, their destruction can lead to permanent hearing loss. Groves has used cell reprogramming to change the pattern of gene expression in mature hair cells, promoting the developmental processes that otherwise shut off after birth.
Groves’ research to understand the molecular underpinnings of inner ear development and regeneration may help fine-tune potential gene therapy solutions for hearing loss — a condition that affects over 1.5 billion people. For his expertise in hair cell regeneration, he is often sought out by foundations and societies supporting hearing loss research. He also is a member of the Advisory Council for the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“I am honored to join WashU Medicine as the new head of the Department of Developmental Biology,” Groves said. “I am excited by the opportunity to recruit and mentor new faculty members to this amazing institution and continue the department’s 100-year record of achievement. In addition to uncovering the fascinating processes of animal development, my new colleagues in the department are making fundamental discoveries relevant to human disease, degeneration and aging. WashU has a strong culture of collaborative research, and I look forward to helping build new collaborations between our department and other departments and centers at WashU and beyond.”