Information

Related Research Units

Otolaryngology Research
Plastic and Oral Surgery Research
F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center

Research Overview

Research in the Koehler Lab focuses on using human organoid systems as a platform to model congenital diseases and develop novel therapies for the inner ear and various craniofacial tissues, including the skin and facial bones.

 

Research Background

Dr. Koehler received his doctorate in medical neuroscience and postdoctoral training from the Indiana University School of Medicine in the lab of Dr. Eri Hashino. His early work focused on neurodevelopment and generating inner ear organs from stem cells. Dr. Koehler became an Assistant Professor in 2015 and was named the Philip F. Holton Scholar in Otology in 2018 by the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine. His lab pioneered methods for inducing human inner ear and skin tissue from pluripotent stem cells. He joined Boston Children's Hospital and the faculty in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Harvard Medical School in 2019. He is a principal investigator in the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and an affiliated PI of the BCH Stem Cell Program and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. His work is funded primarily by the National Institute of Health and the Department of Defense.

 

Publications

  1. Diversity and functional group composition drive biogeographic patterns in marine biogenic structural complexity. Ecology. 2026 May; 107(5):e70412. View Abstract
  2. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived inner ear organoids reveal hair cell damage and plasticity after cisplatin and gentamicin exposure. Dis Model Mech. 2026 Jun 01; 19(6). View Abstract
  3. Lateral plate mesoderm directs human amnion and ventral skin organoid formation. bioRxiv. 2025 Nov 06. View Abstract
  4. AAV-mediated exon skipping therapy for Usher syndrome, type 2A. Mol Ther. 2026 Jan 07; 34(1):179-202. View Abstract
  5. Generation and characterization of vestibular inner ear organoids from human pluripotent stem cells. Nat Protoc. 2026 02; 21(2):391-428. View Abstract
  6. Seagrass wasting disease prevalence and lesion area increase with invertebrate grazing across the northeastern Pacific. Ecology. 2025 Jan; 106(1):e4532. View Abstract
  7. A prenatal skin atlas reveals immune regulation of human skin morphogenesis. Nature. 2024 11; 635(8039):679-689. View Abstract
  8. Spatiotemporal modulation of growth factors directs the generation of multilineage mouse embryonic stem cell-derived mammary organoids. Dev Cell. 2024 01 22; 59(2):175-186.e8. View Abstract
  9. Author Correction: Generation and characterization of hair-bearing skin organoids from human pluripotent stem cells. Nat Protoc. 2023 Dec; 18(12):3975. View Abstract
  10. A single-cell level comparison of human inner ear organoids with the human cochlea and vestibular organs. Cell Rep. 2023 Dec 26; 42(12):113527. View Abstract
  11. Applications of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Skin Organoids in Dermatology. J Invest Dermatol. 2023 10; 143(10):1872-1876. View Abstract
  12. Human pluripotent stem cell-derived inner ear organoids recapitulate otic development in vitro. Development. 2023 10 01; 150(19). View Abstract
  13. Mapping oto-pharyngeal development in a human inner ear organoid model. Development. 2023 10 01; 150(19). View Abstract
  14. A single-cell level comparison of human inner ear organoids with the human cochlea and vestibular organs. Cell Rep. 2023 06 27; 42(6):112623. View Abstract
  15. Human pluripotent stem cells-derived inner ear organoids recapitulate otic development in vitro. bioRxiv. 2023 Apr 12. View Abstract
  16. Early Wnt Signaling Activation Promotes Inner Ear Differentiation via Cell Caudalization in Mouse Stem Cell-Derived Organoids. Stem Cells. 2023 01 30; 41(1):26-38. View Abstract
  17. Biofabrication of Human Skin with Its Appendages. Adv Healthc Mater. 2022 11; 11(22):e2201626. View Abstract
  18. Heparinized Gelatin-Based Hydrogels for Differentiation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Biomacromolecules. 2022 10 10; 23(10):4141-4152. View Abstract
  19. Advancements in inner ear development, regeneration, and repair through otic organoids. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2022 10; 76:101954. View Abstract
  20. The mechanical forces that shape our senses. Development. 2022 04 01; 149(7). View Abstract
  21. Generation and characterization of hair-bearing skin organoids from human pluripotent stem cells. Nat Protoc. 2022 05; 17(5):1266-1305. View Abstract
  22. Review of Genotype-Phenotype Correlations in Usher Syndrome. Ear Hear. 2022 Jan/Feb; 43(1):1-8. View Abstract
  23. Aerosol and Droplet Generation from Open Rhinoplasty: Surgical Risk in the Pandemic Era. Facial Plast Surg Aesthet Med. 2024 Jul-Aug; 26(4):463-468. View Abstract
  24. Aerosol and droplet generation from orbital repair: Surgical risk in the pandemic era. Am J Otolaryngol. 2021 Jul-Aug; 42(4):102970. View Abstract
  25. Skin organoids: A new human model for developmental and translational research. Exp Dermatol. 2021 04; 30(4):613-620. View Abstract
  26. Stem Cells and Gene Therapy in Progressive Hearing Loss: the State of the Art. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2021 04; 22(2):95-105. View Abstract
  27. Building inner ears: recent advances and future challenges for in vitro organoid systems. Cell Death Differ. 2021 01; 28(1):24-34. View Abstract
  28. Dynamic Click Hydrogels for Xeno-Free Culture of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Adv Biosyst. 2020 11; 4(11):e2000129. View Abstract
  29. Hair-bearing human skin generated entirely from pluripotent stem cells. Nature. 2020 06; 582(7812):399-404. View Abstract
  30. Management of Mandible Fracture in 150 Children Across 7 Years in a US Tertiary Care Hospital. JAMA Facial Plast Surg. 2019 Sep 01; 21(5):414-418. View Abstract
  31. Defective Tmprss3-Associated Hair Cell Degeneration in Inner Ear Organoids. Stem Cell Reports. 2019 07 09; 13(1):147-162. View Abstract
  32. Hair Follicle Development in Mouse Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Skin Organoids. Cell Rep. 2018 01 02; 22(1):242-254. View Abstract
  33. Generation of inner ear organoids containing functional hair cells from human pluripotent stem cells. Nat Biotechnol. 2017 06; 35(6):583-589. View Abstract
  34. Directed Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells Into Inner Ear Sensory Epithelia in 3D Culture. Methods Mol Biol. 2017; 1597:67-83. View Abstract
  35. Modulation of Wnt Signaling Enhances Inner Ear Organoid Development in 3D Culture. PLoS One. 2016; 11(9):e0162508. View Abstract
  36. Functional development of mechanosensitive hair cells in stem cell-derived organoids parallels native vestibular hair cells. Nat Commun. 2016 05 24; 7:11508. View Abstract
  37. Generating Inner Ear Organoids from Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells. Methods Mol Biol. 2016; 1341:391-406. View Abstract
  38. Tlx3 promotes glutamatergic neuronal subtype specification through direct interactions with the chromatin modifier CBP. PLoS One. 2015; 10(8):e0135060. View Abstract
  39. 3D mouse embryonic stem cell culture for generating inner ear organoids. Nat Protoc. 2014; 9(6):1229-44. View Abstract
  40. Generation of inner ear sensory epithelia from pluripotent stem cells in 3D culture. Nature. 2013 Aug 08; 500(7461):217-21. View Abstract
  41. ROCK1 functions as a critical regulator of stress erythropoiesis and survival by regulating p53. Blood. 2012 Oct 04; 120(14):2868-78. View Abstract
  42. Class I(A) PI3Kinase regulatory subunit, p85a, mediates mast cell development through regulation of growth and survival related genes. PLoS One. 2012; 7(1):e28979. View Abstract
  43. Extended passaging increases the efficiency of neural differentiation from induced pluripotent stem cells. BMC Neurosci. 2011 Aug 10; 12:82. View Abstract
  44. Wnt signaling promotes neuronal differentiation from mesenchymal stem cells through activation of Tlx3. Stem Cells. 2011 May; 29(5):836-46. View Abstract
  45. In-vivo assessment of migration and engraftment of stem cells in the cochlea using a high-resolution microscopic-endoscope. Laryngoscope. 2010; 120 Suppl 4:S212. View Abstract

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