Christine Petit, MD, PhD, heads the Institut de l'audition, a new Institut Pasteur research center co-founded with the Fondation pour l'audition and associated with Inserm. By implementing a genetic dissection of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of hearing, based on the identification of the genes responsible for deafness in humans, her work has led to a renewal of the neuroscience of hearing, deciphering the functioning of the auditory system on a molecular scale.
At the same time, she has uncovered the pathophysiological processes underlying many forms of deafness, including deafness associated with visual impairment (Usher syndrome). In recent years, this knowledge has led to the development of diagnostic tools and research into treatments for both early and late hearing and vestibular disorders. For the past fifteen years, much of her research has been carried out in collaboration with Paul Avan, Director of the Centre de recherche et d'innovation en audiologie humaine (CERIAH) at the Institut de l'audition.
