This multidisciplinary WG will bring together experts from molecular genetics as well as statistics and bioinformatics, in addition to clinicians with the goal to unify biobanking efforts for tinnitus across Europe, creating a pan-European resource to study the underlying genetic basis of tinnitus.
Main goals of this WG will include the following tasks:
- Documentation of biobanking efforts (blood) for people with tinnitus and defined controls all over Europe
- Establishment of SOPs for sample collection, storage and sharing and
- Establishment of SOPs for genetic analysis of the human genome
- Search for genetic susceptibility variants predisposing to the different forms of tinnitus by the above mentioned techniques
- SOPs for statistical analysis of genotypic data and correlation with clinical and neuroimaging data
- SOPs for gene-gene and gene-environment interaction studies
- Organization of Short Term Scientific Missions, with a goal to train pre- and postdoctoral scientists in genetic research methodology
- Preparation and submission of grant proposals to national, European, and international funding agencies, in order to ensure continuous support of studies
- Implementation of SOPs and results on the COST Action website
