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Career history

• 2001-present: Professor of Sensory Physiology, University of Sheffield
• 2006-2012: Head of Department
• 2000-2001: Reader, Department of Physiology, University of Bristol
• 1990-2000: Royal Society University Research Fellow, Department of Physiology, University of Bristol
• 1988-1990: Beit Memorial Research Fellow, Department of Physiology, University of Bristol
• 1986-1988: Post-doctoral Research Associate (MRC), Department of Physiology, University of Bristol
• 1985-1986: Brown Junior Research Fellow, The Queen's College, University of Oxford
• 1984-1985: Royal Society European Exchange Programme Fellow, Department of Cell Biology, University of Stockholm, Sweden
• 1983: D.Phil - University of Oxford
• 1982-1984: Brown Junior Research Fellow, The Queen's College, University of Oxford
• 1979-1982: Postgraduate Research Student, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford
• 1979: BSc.Hons - University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Research interests

I am primarily interested in the development and function of the mammalian inner ear with a focus on potential treatments for hearing loss. I have developed in vitro models for the differentiation of sensory hair cells and sensory nerves and use them in conjunction with microarrays to study gene networks centred on the transcription factor Gata3. I have also explored a model system for cell transplantation into the inner ear in vivo. Read more on research in the Holley laboratory

Activities and distinctions

• Senate Award for Departmental Leadership in Learning and Teaching
• Trustee of the Action on Hearing Loss
• Graham Fraser Memorial Lecturer – Royal Society of Medicine, London, 2010

Funding

• Deafness Research UK
• Medical Research Council (MRC)
• Metabolic Pharmaceuticals
• Wellcome Trust

Recent publications

Furness DN, Johnson SL, Manor U, Rüttiger L, Tocchetti A, Offenhauser N, Olt J, Goodyear RJ, Vijayakumar S, Dai Y, Hackney CM, Franz C, Di Fiore PP, Masetto S, Jones SM, Knipper M, Holley MC, Richardson GP, Kachar B, Marcotti W. (2013)
Progressive hearing loss and gradual deterioration of sensory hair bundles in the ears of mice lacking the actin-binding protein Eps8L2.
Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 110(34):13898-903. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1304644110.

Johnson SL, Kuhn S, Franz C, Ingham N, Furness DN, Knipper M, Steel KP, Adelman JP, Holley MC, Marcotti W. (2013)
Presynaptic maturation in auditory hair cells requires a critical period of sensory-independent spiking activity.
Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 110(21):8720-5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1219578110.

Johnson SL, Kennedy HJ, Holley MC, Fettiplace R, Marcotti W. (2012)
The resting transducer current drives spontaneous activity in prehearing mammalian cochlear inner hair cells.
J Neurosci. 32(31):10479-83. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0803-12.2012.

Zampini V, Johnson SL, Franz C, Knipper M, Holley MC, Magistretti J, Masetto S, Marcotti W. (2013)
Burst activity and ultrafast activation kinetics of CaV1.3 Ca2+ channels support presynaptic activity in adult gerbil hair cell ribbon synapses.
J Physiol. 591(Pt 16):3811-20. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2013.251272.

Lin Z, Perez P, Sun Z, Liu JJ, Shin JH, Hyrc KL, Samways D, Egan T, Holley MC, Bao J. (2012)
Reprogramming of single-cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells into hair cell-like cells.
Otol Neurotol.

Zetes D, Tolomeo J & Holley MC (2012)
Structure and mechanics of supporting cells in the guinea pig organ of Corti.
PLoS ONE 7(11): e49338. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0049338

Eckrich T, Varakina K, Johnson S, Franz C, Singer W, Kuhn S, Knipper M, Holley M, Marcotti W (2012)
Development and Function of the Voltage-Gated Sodium Current in Immature Mammalian Cochlear Inner Hair Cells.
PLoS ONE 7(9): e45732. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0045732

Zampini V, Rüttiger L, Johnson S, Franz C, Furness DN, Waldhaus J, Xiong H, Hackney CM, Holley MC, Offenhauser N, Di Fiore PP, Knipper M, Masetto S & Marcotti W (2011).
Eps8 Regulates Hair Bundle Length and Functional Maturation of Mammalian Auditory Hair Cells.
PloS Biology 2011 Apr;9(4):e1001048.