This FOA will establish a laboratory as a national technological resource for auditory and vestibular researchers who use human inner and middle ear tissues for a range of basic and clinical studies. The Laboratory will develop and provide technical services for procuring, preparing, sectioning and distributing high-quality human ear tissues; develop and disseminate techniques for improved tissue preservation and for imaging human middle and inner ear structures, including cellular and membranous components; and provide opportunities for technical instruction in the special skills needed to prepare ear and use tissues from post-mortem human temporal bones.A cooperative agreement will coordinate interactions with the research community to maximize impact and novelty while avoiding duplicative efforts.This resource will benefit a broad spectrum of research projects, including clinical and translational, by providing a critical link towards the translation of animal studies to the human ear and eventually the clinic, for the NIDCD mission to help prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat deafness and other communication disorders.