This project aims to establish proteases as new activity-based biomarkers for classifying vestibular schwannomas.

The aim of this project is to develop tumor-targeted nanoparticles that can deliver drugs selectively to tumor cells. 

The aim of this collaborative project is to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of direct delivery of neurotrophic factors to the cochlea for the treatment of hearing loss in animal models.

Additional research programs include using tumor-associated fluorescence as an intraoperative guide to assist skull base surgeons during tumor resection, as well as a series of clinical projects investigating the natural history of vestibular schwannomas, identifying clinical and radiographic factors associated with hearing preservation after surgery, and improving patient’s quality of life. 

1. Ren Y*, MacDonald, BV*, Tawfik KO, Nguyen QN, Schwartz MS and Friedman RA. Clinical Predictors of Facial Nerve Outcomes after Surgical Resection of Vestibular Schwannoma. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 2021 May 164 (5): 1085-1093
2. Ren Y, Tawfik KO, Mastrodimos BJ and Cueva RA. Preoperative Radiographic Predictors of Hearing Preservation after Retrosigmoid Resection of Vestibular Schwannomas. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 2020 Dec 8:194599820978246
3. Ren Y, Chari DA, Vasilijic S, Welling DB and Stankovic KM. New developments in neurofibromatosis type 2 and vestibular schwannoma. Neuro-Oncology Advances, 2020 Nov 16;3(1):vdaa153
4. Ren Y, Hyakusoku H, Sagers JE, Landegger LD, Welling DB and Stankovic KM. MMP- 14 (MT1-MMP) is a biomarker of surgical outcome and potential mediator of hearing loss in patients with vestibular schwannomas. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 2020 Jul 28;14:191.
5. Ren Y, Sethi RK and Stankovic KM. National Trends in Surgical Resection of Vestibular Schwannomas. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020 Jun 23:194599820932148
6. Ren Y, Landegger LD and Stankovic KM. Gene Therapy for Human Sensorineural Hearing Loss.  Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 2019 Jul 16;13:323
7. Ren Y, Sagers JE, Landegger LD, Bhatia SN and Stankovic KM. Tumor-Penetrating Delivery of siRNA against TNFα to Human Vestibular Schwannomas. Scientific Reports, 2017 Oct 10;7(1):12922
8. Mroz EA, Tward AM, Hammon RJ, Ren Y and Rocco JW. Intra-tumor genetic heterogeneity and mortality in head and neck cancer: analysis of data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. PLOS Medicine, 2015 Feb 10; 12(2):e1001786
9. Ren Y*, Cheung HW*, von Maltzahn G, et al, Fogal V, Ruoslahti E, Hahn WC and Bhatia SN. Targeted tumor-penetrating siRNA nanocomplexes for credentialing the ovarian oncogene ID4. Science Translational Medicine, 2012 Aug 15; 4(147): 147ra112
10. Nijhawan D*, Zack TI*, Ren Y, et al, Bhatia SN, Beroukhim R and Hahn WC. Cancer Vulnerabilities Unveiled by Genomic Loss. Cell, 2012 Aug 17;150(4): 842-54
11. Goldberg MS*, Xing D*, Ren Y, Orsulic S, Bhatia SN and Sharp PA. Nanoparticle mediated delivery of siRNA targeting Parp1 extends survival of mice bearing tumors derived from Brca1-deficient ovarian cancer cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A., 2011 Jan 11;108(2): 745-50

Assistant Professor, 2021 – Current
Otology, Neurotology & Cranial Base Surgery
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

2004 First Place, MIT “6.270” Autonomous Robot Design Competition
2006 Medical Scientist Training Program Fellowship
2010 Repligen – MIT Koch Institute for Cancer Research Fellowship
2012 National ProQuest/Council of Graduate Schools for best PhD thesis at MIT
2016 New England Otolaryngological Society Resident Research Award
2016 Resident Research Award, Centralized Otolaryngology Research Efforts (CORE)
American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation
2017 Second Place Resident Award, New England Otolaryngological Society Meeting
2017 First Place Poster Prize, American Otologic Society annual meeting
2017 Resident Leadership Grant, American Academy of Otolaryngology Foundation
2018 Humanitarian Travel Grant, American Academy of Otolaryngology Foundation
2018 Second Place Poster Prize, Triological Society Combined Sections Meeting
2019 First Place, Annual Mastoid Bowl, Massachusetts Eye and Ear
2019 The Jeffrey P. Harris MD, PhD Prize for Excellence in Research awarded to graduating chief resident, Harvard Medical School