Barbara Canlon

Barbara Canlon is a Professor of Hearing Physiology at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet. Her research focuses on understanding mechanisms underlying hearing impairments, including noise-induced hearing loss, tinnitus, and the role of circadian rhythms and stress in auditory function. She leads the Experimental Audiology research group, investigating neuroendocrine mechanisms, neurotrophic factors, and glucocorticoid pathways in auditory protection.

Key achievements include discovering circadian clocks in the cochlea, demonstrating time-of-day vulnerability to hearing damage, and developing novel gene therapy delivery methods via cerebrospinal fluid. Awards include the 2023 Grand Prix Scientifique and election to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (2020).

Her work spans molecular biology, integrative physiology, and clinical research, with projects addressing stress-induced hearing disorders, genetic risk factors, and translational therapies. Notable collaborations include international studies on tinnitus genetics and circadian ototoxicity.

Publications emphasize interdisciplinary approaches, combining animal models with human cohort studies. Current research explores stress modulation of hearing problems, estrogen receptor roles in auditory protection, and developing bioelectronic drug delivery systems for inner ear therapies.