Optimal Tissue Engineering Approach for Treating Injured Vocal Folds

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PROJECT SUMMARY Voice impairment is the most common communication disorder with nearly 20 million people in the US reporting symptoms of dysphonia annually. The cost of treatment and lost wages for this disorder is approaching $13 billion. The etiology of these disorders is diverse, but given their anatomic location, the vocal folds (VFs) are susceptible to a multitude of injurious stimuli, including reflux of gastric contents, iatrogenic injury, and the inherent trauma associated with voice production. Injury can result in altered lamina propria (LP) architecture resulting in aberrant phonatory physiology. To date, no treatment restores the native VF extracellular matrix (ECM) composition, structure, and function following VF injury which likely underlies suboptimal outcomes for patients with VF scar. ECMs, if appropriately processed, can be used as resorbable, clinically safe, and naturally derived biomaterials that promote tissue remodeling while reducing fibrosis. Injectable ECM hydrogels are ideal for clinical application and cell delivery, particularly given the emerging practice and distinct advantages of in-office procedures using minimally invasive approaches. Work from our group and others provide promising data regarding the role of decellularized vocal fold lamina propria (VFLP-ECM) as an injectable agent or as a delivery vehicle for therapeutic cells such as mesenchymal stem cells. We broadly hypothesize that VFLP-ECM hydrogels (with or without stem cells) will promote functional repair of the VFs.