NAME: Arin Stowman
CONCENTRATION: Bioengineering
RESEARCH FOCUS: Tympanostomy tubes
RESEARCH LABS: Joanna Aizenberg, Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Material Science and Professor of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, and Jennifer Lewis, Hansjorg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering
ADVISORS: Graduate student Nicole Black and Aaron Remenschneider, surgeon and investigator at the Eaton Peabody Laboratory at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
This summer, I’ve been working with tympanostomy tubes. These are tubes that help people who get otitis media, also known as an ear infection. When people get ear infections, pressure will build up in their middle ear, behind the eardrum, and doctors will put a tube across the eardrum to ventilate the ear space and equalize the pressure. Sometimes the insertion of these tubes causes secondary problems, such as early extrusion and persistent perforations, which require additional surgeries.
The lab where I’m conducting researching is designing a new material for the tube made from a novel, oil-infused silicone elastomer. With this new type of material, we expect to find increased flow through the tube while also finding decreased cellular adhesion, when compared to current commercially available tubes. This will address the issues of early extrusion and bacterial biofilm formation. Furthermore, we will be testing different diameters and flange shapes to be less invasive, thus addressing issues with persistent perforation and scarring. We are currently carrying out in vitro studies to validate these hypotheses, and afterwards, we will be carrying out in vivo studies to further prove that the new tubes are an improvement over current commercially available tubes.
The biggest challenge I’ve faced is that I had little knowledge of ears and hearing before starting my research. The learning curve has been really steep, which is good, but it’s also challenging to take in so much knowledge at once, process it, and then apply it to the work I am doing.
I was interested in doing research for the summer and I discovered that Harvard has a global health research program. I got in contact with the lab and, once I started, I realized how much I enjoy it. I will continue with this research throughout the year and I want it to be my thesis project.
Conducting research in a Harvard lab has been very beneficial because I find the research area to be very interesting and cutting edge. Also, I enjoy the people I am working with because they help with my research and take the time to get to know me. It’s really awesome to know that I can connect with such accomplished scientists on a personal level. I’m not entirely sure if this research experience will play a role in my future career, since I haven’t decided what I want to do after graduation. Somewhere down the line, I may apply to medical school. Right now, I'm looking into applying for graduate school to get a master’s degree in global or public health.