Christine Petit stands as a preeminent figure in the field of auditory genetics and neurobiology, renowned for her groundbreaking work on the genetic mechanisms underlying hearing and deafness. Born in 1948 in Laignes, Burgundy, France, she trained as a physician at Paris VI University and Pitié-Salpétrière Hospital before obtaining a master's degree in genetics and biochemistry from Paris XI University (Orsay) in 1973. She established her research career at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, where she has held successive leadership positions including Head of the Department of Neuroscience and Head of the Laboratory of Genetics and Physiology of Hearing. Currently, she serves as Professor Emeritus at the Collège de France, where she held the Chair of Genetics and Cellular Physiology, and as Head of the Auditory Therapies Innovation Laboratory at the Hearing Institute, a research center she co-founded at the Institut Pasteur.
Petit's pioneering research has fundamentally transformed our understanding of hearing mechanisms at the molecular level, with her laboratory identifying over twenty genes responsible for various forms of hereditary hearing impairment. Her early work on the olfactory system led to the identification of the KAL1 gene responsible for Kallmann syndrome, after which she turned her focus to auditory genetics when little was known about the molecular basis of hearing loss. Through innovative genetic approaches, she has elucidated the roles of specific proteins in both the peripheral auditory system and the central auditory pathways, demonstrating that certain proteins essential for hair cell function also play critical roles in the development of the auditory cortex. This discovery challenges previous assumptions that deafness genes only affect peripheral hearing structures and has profound implications for the efficacy of cochlear interventions. Her contributions have earned her numerous prestigious accolades including the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience and The Brain Prize, given by The Lundbeck Foundation, in 2012.
Beyond her research achievements, Professor Petit has profoundly shaped the field through her leadership in establishing the Hearing Institute and fostering international collaborations that have accelerated progress in auditory research. She has been recognized with membership in the French Academy of Sciences, election as a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences, and as an International Member of the US National Academy of Medicine in 2011. Her mentorship has cultivated a new generation of scientists dedicated to understanding sensory systems and developing therapies for hearing disorders. Currently, her laboratory continues to innovate at the intersection of genetics, neurobiology, and therapeutic development, with ongoing research focused on translating genetic discoveries into potential treatments for sensorineural hearing loss. Her work remains instrumental in advancing our understanding of the auditory system and developing novel approaches to address hearing impairment worldwide.
