Dr. Hideki Mutai, DVM, PhD, is a Lecturer in Kitasato University School of Medicine. His research focuses on the molecular genetics and pathophysiology of hereditary hearing loss, integrating otorhinolaryngology, genomics, molecular biology, and cell biology.

He has worked on identifying the genetic causes of hearing impairment, particularly through genomic studies of Japanese patients with hereditary and syndromic hearing loss using whole-exome sequencing. His research has contributed to improved molecular diagnosis and a better understanding of the genetic heterogeneity of deafness.

A major focus of his work is SLC12A2-associated hearing loss, DFNA78. He contributed to the identification of pathogenic SLC12A2 variants in human deafness and has further investigated their disease mechanisms using experimental model mouse.