University of Wisconsin scientists have succeeded in growing functional vocal-cord tissue in the laboratory, a major step toward restoring a voice to people who have lost their vocal cords to cancer surgery or other injuries.
Dr. Nathan Welham, a speech-language pathologist, and colleagues from several disciplines, were able to bioengineer vocal-cord tissue able to transmit sound, they reported in a study published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
About 20 million Americans suffer from voice impairments, and many have damage to the vocal-cord mucosae, the specialized tissues that vibrate as air moves over them, giving rise to voice.
While injections of collagen and other materials can help some in the short term, Welham says not much can be done for people who have had larger areas of their vocal cords damaged or removed.
Voice is a pretty amazing thing, yet we don’t give it much thought until something goes wrong,” says Welham, an associate professor of surgery in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. “Our vocal cords are made up of special tissue that has to be flexible enough to vibrate, yet strong enough to bang together hundreds of times per second. It’s an exquisite system and a hard thing to replicate.”
Welham and colleagues began with vocal-cord tissue from a cadaver and four patients who had their larynxes removed but did not have cancer. They isolated, purified and grew the cells from the mucosa, then applied them to a 3-D collagen scaffold, similar to a system used to grow artificial skin in the laboratory.
In about two weeks, the cells grew together to form a tissue with a pliable but strong connective tissue beneath, and layered epithelial cells on top. Proteomic analysis showed the cells produced many of the same proteins as normal vocal cord cells. Physical testing showed that the epithelial cells had also begun to form an immature basement membrane which helps create a barrier against pathogens and irritants in the airway.
Welham says the lab-grown tissue “felt like vocal-cord tissue,” and materials testing showed that it had qualities of viscosity and elasticity similar to normal tissue.
Read more: Wisconsin Scientists Grow Functional Vocal Cord Tissue in the Lab
The Latest on: Vocal-cord tissue
[google_news title=”” keyword=”vocal-cord tissue” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Vocal-cord tissue
- Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas to Rest Vocal Cords After Developing Medical Conditionon April 30, 2024 at 6:18 am
"As most of you know, I'm not someone who can be 'silenced,' but my doctor has advised that I need to rest my vocal cords in order to prevent surgery removing painful nodules that have formed on them, ...
- 'I can only give the best': Bon Jovi on vocal surgery and the road to recoveryon April 29, 2024 at 10:58 am
Jon Bon Jovi stopped performing a few years ago because he was having problems with his vocal cords. "I was overusing it," the Bon Jovi lead singer says of his voice. "Even though I'm trained and ...
- Jon Bon Jovi Reveals the Surprising Way How 'Spirit Sister' Shania Twain Helped Him Through Vocal Surgery (Exclusive)on April 28, 2024 at 3:00 pm
The Bon Jovi rocker underwent vocal cord surgery in the summer of 2022, he reveals in his new Hulu docuseries, ‘Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story,’ streaming now When Jon Bon Jovi was ...
- Seven ways to warm-up your vocal cordson April 16, 2024 at 12:39 pm
Ahead of the action, here are seven ways to warm-up your vocal cords featuring singer Carly Paoli, BBC Singer Jessica Gillingwater and Wayne Ellington! If you’d like to join hundreds of schools ...
- Bon Jovi doesn’t want to be ‘fat Elvis’ onstage as he worries vocal cord surgery may end live singingon April 15, 2024 at 10:28 am
Jon Bon Jovi is “Livin’ on a Prayer” that his voice returns to its prime singing days after vocal cord surgery put a halt on live singing in 2022. Jon, whose full name is John Francis ...
- What are the different types of vocal cord surgery?on April 14, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Different types of vocal cord surgery include microlaryngoscopy, medialization laryngoplasty, and reduction laryngoplasty. The type of surgery a person has may depend on the reason for the procedure.
- 'Livin on a Prayer' singer Jon Bon Jovi underwent vocal cord surgery in 2022on April 14, 2024 at 4:39 pm
Jon Bon Jovi is "Livin' on a Prayer" that his voice returns to its prime singing days after vocal cord surgery put a halt on live singing in 2022. Jon, whose full name is John Francis Bongiovi Jr ...
- Politicians' vocal cords suffer silently as poll campaign picks upon April 14, 2024 at 10:58 am
With World Voice Day approaching on April 16 — a day dedicated to spotlighting the role vocal cord health plays in our personal and professional lives — it might be timely to explore how ...
- Jon Bon Jovi says he will be ‘done’ with music if his singing voice deteriorates after vocal recoveryon April 14, 2024 at 6:14 am
The Bon Jovi frontman, 62, underwent surgery for an atrophied vocal cord two years ago and is currently doing vocal rehabilitation sessions every day. In a new interview with The Sunday Times ...
- Jon Bon Jovi Says He's 'More Than Capable of Singing' 2 Years After Vocal Surgery: 'I'm F---ing Bon Jovi!'on April 11, 2024 at 9:30 am
opened up about his singing abilities after undergoing vocal cord surgery in 2022. “What you saw on film was shot last March in that scene when I couldn't sing well, or two years ago when I was ...
via Bing News