Friday, September 29, 2023
12–12:45 p.m. Presentation by Richard Costanzo, Ph.D. "A Medical Device to Restore the Sense of Smell"
12:45–1 p.m. Questions & Dialogue
Register here for lunch with colleagues at MSB Lecture Hall (Room 274)*
*Registration closes at noon on Monday, September 25
Or Attend Virtually via Zoom call-in
Anosmia, a complete loss of smell, is a common occurrence following head trauma, viral infections, and diseases that result in injury to the olfactory nerves. Currently, there are no clinical treatments that can restore a lost sense of smell. A new medical device is being developed, the Olfactory Implant System (OIS), that functions much like a cochlear implant used to restore hearing. The device consists of an array of chemical sensors acting like an electronic nose, a programmable microprocessor, and an electrode array that can stimulate olfactory regions of the brain. This system, still under development, may provide hope for those suffering from anosmia.
Richard Costanzo, Ph.D., is a professor emeritus in the Departments of Physiology and Biophysics and Otolaryngology, Head, and Neck Surgery at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond, Virginia. He is internationally recognized for his expertise in the chemical senses smell and taste, and his career in basic and clinical research, mentoring, and service spans more than 40 years. In the 1980s, Professor Costanzo founded the VCU Health Smell and Taste Clinic, one of the few smell and taste specialty clinics in the country. His clinical research on disorders of smell and taste has helped physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of chemosensory disorders. His basic research program on regeneration and repair in the olfactory system has received over 30 years of continuous NIH funding and resulted in more than 150 journal articles, book chapters, and abstracts. Professor Costanzo’s expertise and innovation in both basic and clinical research has resulted in the invention of two new patented medical devices: olfactory (2016)and gustatory (2020) implant systems. In 2022, he received the Maxwell M. Mozell Career Achievement Award from the Association for Chemoreception Sciences in recognition of his many scientific contributions.
