Most people experience some loss of hearing acuity as they age. This is due to changes in both the ear's sensitivity to sound and the brain's ability to process information quickly. However, the rate and severity of hearing loss is variable and tends to run in families. This suggests the involvement of one or more genetic factors. The human genetics lab at RIT is searching for genetic differences that are associated with susceptibility to hearing loss in elderly people. This is a collaborative project with the International Center for Hearing and Speech Research. ICHSR recruits human subjects for audiometric testing and sends a cell sample to the molecular lab for DNA extraction and testing of particular genes. Genotypic and phenotypic information are compared using standard statistical methods to determine association. This project involves a large amount of data handling, which requires specialized databases, and analyses which require automation for optimal efficiency.