Paul Webster, Ph.D
Examining Cell Structure and Function Through Electron Microscopy

House scientists study the molecular structures of the ear and related systems using enlarged visual images provided by microscopes to see the tiny details of these structures. Electron microscopes can magnify a specimen up to one million times, revealing patterns that illustrate the minutest cellular and molecular forms and functions required for scientific study. In doing this they reveal the sheer beauty and aesthetic quality of nature to such a degree that microscopy could be described as an art form. While the illustrative and instructive images made by electron microscopes are of great educational benefit, it is their ability to produce scientific data that is most valued by Paul Webster, Ph.D., head of the Ahmanson Advanced Electron Microscopy and Imaging Center at the House Research Institute. Microscopes that use electrons instead of light to form images of biological specimens have played an important role in discovering what cells are and how they work. The images produced reveal normally unseen worlds of exquisite micro-organization, showing that the cell, the smallest unit of living matter capable of independent existence, is a very complex package that operates as a small factory. The human body is an integrated society of hundreds of interdependent cells that are specialized in various ways to carry out functions essential to our survival. We have about 25 trillion blood cells that specialize in transporting oxygen to our tissues. Another 50 trillion cells are working hard each day carrying out their specialized functions that are essential for life. Of these, only 15,000 are the sensory cells in our inner ear (the cochlea), called hair cells, which provide us with the ability to hear. In addition to the hair cells located in the cochlea, the ear has many other cells that enable normal functions to be carried out. An understanding of how these cells function, develop, age or become diseased is essential for hearing research. In addition to his jurisdiction over electron microscopy, Dr. Webster frequently uses the electron microscope in his studies of host-pathogen interactions in the department of cell biology. It is estimated that the human body contains 10 times more bacterial cells than human cells yet the study of bacterial pathogens is currently limited to their eradication. A particular area of his interest is biofilm – the thin, slimy, intricate film construction through which microorganisms adhere to a surface and to one another in micro-colonies. Beneficial as well as pathogenic bacteria prefer this form of growth and biofilms exist within the human body as well as other environments. They may contain many different types of microorganisms, including bacteria, archaca, protozoa and algae. Biofilm examples include bacterioplankton found in the ocean, dental plaque and numerous infections acquired in hospital. Biofilm infections are also implicated in biomedical implant failures. Until recently scientists and the medical community focused their studies and treatments on tracking and attacking the single free-floating microorganism, rather than the complex community of microorganisms thriving under a surface of sticky slime - virtually impervious to antibiotics and disinfectants. Biofilms have been associated with cholesteatomas – a condition of the middle ear that sometimes results from infection, which can cause hearing loss and other problems. They are also relevant in the search for prevention of otitis media, the middle ear infections common in childhood, which can lead to deafness. Middle ear infections are the most common cause of hearing impairment in children, are one of the most common pediatric infectious disorders, second only to the common cold, and are also the most common reason for prescribing antibiotics to children in the United States.