Dr Huan Ting Ong joined Ear Science Institute Australia in 2014 originally as a BSc Honours student and following the successful completion of her degree she commenced a position as a Research Assistant investigating the suitability of materials/biomaterials as a scaffold for cell delivery for tissue engineering and wound healing applications.

Under the supervision of Professor Rodney Dilley and Professor Marcus Atlas, she then embarked on a PhD through UWA, investigating the potential role of adult stem cells in eardrum repair. Dr Ong’s PhD used Next Generation Sequencing and Proteomics analyses to analyse the responses of keratinocytes to factors produced by stem cells, which may be used to promote eardrum repair in chronic perforations.

Currently, Dr Ong is a Postdoctoral Researcher working with Dr Filippo Valente on the development and functionalisation of biomaterials for use in chronic middle ear disease, as well as using her expertise in molecular and cellular biology to investigate the pathophysiology of middle ear diseases, and establishing models for drug screening and discovery to improve eardrum repair.