Professor Marcelo Rivolta

School of Biosciences

Professor of Sensory Stem Cell Biology

Marcelo Rivolta
Profile picture of Marcelo Rivolta
m.n.rivolta@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 2385

Full contact details

Professor Marcelo Rivolta
School of Biosciences
Firth Court
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
Profile
  • 2013-present: Professor of Sensory Stem Cell Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield. UK.
  • 2012-2013: Reader in Sensory Stem Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield. UK.
  • 2003-2011: Senior Research Fellow, Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield. UK.
  • 2001-2003: Research Fellow, Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield. UK.
  • 1998-2001: Research Fellow, Department of Physiology, University of Bristol. UK.
  • 1995-1998: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Physiology, University of Bristol. UK.
  • 1992-1995: Ph.D., NIH. Bethesda, Maryland, USA and University of Córdoba, Argentina.
  • 1992-1995: Visiting Associate at the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, NIDCD, NIH. Bethesda. Maryland. USA.
  • 1992-1991: Visiting Fellow at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, NIDCD, NIH. Bethesda. Maryland. USA.
  • 1989-1991: Visiting Fellow at the Laboratory of Cellular Biology, NIDCD, NIH. Bethesda. Maryland. USA.
  • 1989: M.D. School of Medicine, University of Córdoba. Argentina.
  • 1984-1989: Research Assistant. Institute of Cell Biology and Department of Histology, Embryology and Genetics. School of Medicine, University of Córdoba. Argentina.
Research interests

Deafness is a major public health issue worldwide, with more than 3 million people in the UK alone enduring a moderate to profound hearing loss. The Rivolta laboratory is dedicated to study the biology and behaviour of auditory stem cells (primarily human) and to explore their potential to regenerate the damaged inner ear.

Hearing Research Group

Regenerative therapies for hearing loss: The development and use of human stem cells

Hearing loss has substantial personal, social and economic implications. It is most commonly caused by damage to the sensory hair cells and/or the auditory neurons in the cochlea. One possible therapeutic path would be to use otic progenitors generated in vitro to functionally replace the damaged cells.

Our group has made key advances developing stem cell technologies into a potentially viable therapy. We isolated a population of stem cells from the human fetal cochlea, and we have developed robust protocols to drive otic differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells.

We also have established the proof of concept that hESC-derived otic progenitors can repair the damaged cochlea. We demonstrated that transplanted cells can graft into an animal model of auditory neuropathy, and elicit functional recovery as measured by auditory brainstem thresholds.

In an integrative regenerative medicine strategy, we are now exploring the combination of stem cells with cochlear implants, aiming to develop a true bionic implant. This device should conceptually combine stem cells with stimulatory electrodes.

For this we are developing animal models of cell transplantation and implantation. On a parallel strategy, we are also using stem cells to develop in vitro platforms that would facilitate drug discovery and analysis.

We have several collaborations with industry and academia, within the UK as well as worldwide. We are part of Otostem, an international consortium with partners in Stanford, Harvard, Geneva, Uppsala, Tübigen and Marseille.

Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

Journal articles

All publications

Journal articles

Chapters

Conference proceedings papers

  • Farr MRB, Abbas L, Ray J & Rivolta MN (2019) Modelling vestibular hypofunction for the assessment of cell based therapies. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 30(8) (pp A23-A23) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Ji A & Rivolta MN (2019) Inner ear hair cell differentiation of hESC-derived otic epithelial progenitor cells in 3D and 2D cultures. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 30(8) (pp A24-A24) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Abbas L, Wu W, Mallick AS & Rivolta MN (2019) Defining the immunological properties of hESC-derived otic neural progenitors in the context of the gerbil auditory neuropathy model. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 30(8) (pp A13-A13) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Abbas L, Rivolta DIC, Smyth D & Rivolta MN (2017) Combining stem cells and cochlear electrode arrays: towards a true 'bionic' ear. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 28(8) (pp A17-A17) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Shaw AC, Farr MRB & Rivolta MN (2017) Advances in the generation of GMP-compliant protocols for the differentiation of otic progenitors from clinical-grade human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC). HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 28(8) (pp A27-A27) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Boddy SL, Gokhale PJ, Barrott DM & Rivolta MN (2017) Purification of hESC-derived otic progenitors from heterogeneous cell populations. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 28(8) (pp A27-A27) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Barrott D & Rivolta M (2017) Manipulating Wnt signalling to improve the generation of otic progenitors from human pluripotent stem cells. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 28(8) (pp A27-A27) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Castro OOS, Boissonade F & Rivolta M (2017) Identification and characterisation of a neural crest-related stem cell (NCSC) population from DPCs for auditory and peripheral nerve regeneration. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 28(8) (pp A26-A26) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Romero-Guevara R & Rivolta MN (2013) The role of FGF signalling during otic differentiation in human embryonic stem cells. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 24(5) (pp A22-A23) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Boddy S, Romero-Guevara R, Unger C, Andrews P & Rivolta M (2013) Generation of otic lineages from human induced pluripotent stem cells. HUMAN GENE THERAPY, Vol. 24(5) (pp A26-A27) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Jongkamonwiwat N, Chen W & Rivolta MN (2010) TRANSPLANTATION OF HUMAN ESCS-DERIVED OTIC NEUROPROGENITOR CELLS (ONPS) INTO THE DEAFENED GERBIL COCHLEA: SURVIVAL, DIFFERENTIATION AND FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY. J NEUROCHEM, Vol. 115 (pp 35-35) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Lawoko G, Petrich-Marquesini LG, Cacciabue-Rivolta D, Rivolta MN & Holley MC (2000) GATA3 is expressed in progenitors of supporting cells, hair cells and spiral ganglion cells during cochlear development in the mouse. BRITISH JOURNAL OF AUDIOLOGY, Vol. 34(2) (pp 78-79) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Holley MC, Lawlor P, Lawoko G & Rivolta MN (2000) An ear in a test tube. BRITISH JOURNAL OF AUDIOLOGY, Vol. 34(2) (pp 77-77) RIS download Bibtex download

Preprints

Research group

Postgraduate PhD opportunities

We advertise PhD opportunities (Funded or Self-Funded) on FindAPhD.com

Grants
  • Medical Research Council
  • European Union
Teaching activities

Undergraduate:

  • BMS382 Stem Cell Biology  (Co-ordinator)
  • Level 3 Practical and Dissertation Modules

Masters (Msc):

  • BMS6051 - Retrieval and Evaluation of Research Information  (Co-ordinator)
  • BMS6056 Stem Cell Biology  (Co-ordinator)
Professional activities and memberships
  • Reviewer for leading scientific journals.
  • Reviewer for research proposals submitted to Action on Hearing Loss, Deafness Research UK, The Wellcome Trust, MRC, BBSRC and other funding bodies.
  • Invited speaker at several national and international meetings.
  • Trustee of the charity ‘The Ear Foundation’

Invited to give numerous seminars, opening and plenary lectures.

In the media