The five-year project is funded by a $1.8 million grant from the US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

Advertisement

A team at the University of Delaware said they'll investigate two different tissue engineering approaches for regenerating flexible folds of connective tissue (lamina propria) that vibrate and produce sound as air is forced up from the lungs through the trachea.

Overuse or abuse can result in scarring of the lamina propria, which disrupts their natural pliability and leads to hoarseness or other vocal problems.

One approach to be tested by the researchers involves injecting gelatin-like materials into damaged tissue in order to improve pliability and prevent scar formation.

The second approach involves creation of functional tissue from a "combination of vocal fold connective tissue cells (fibroblasts), artificial extracellular matrix, and biological cues and mechanical stimuli that capture the mechanical and biological characteristics of the natural organs," according to a news release about the research. – (HealthDayNews)

August 2007
 

Print this article on

Rate this article Poor 1 2 3 4 5 Excellent

JOBS

Operations Manager R20,000-25,000 Per Month Cost To Company Incl Benefits Gauteng - East Rand Financial Accountant: CA(SA) R400,000-500,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Gauteng - Johannesburg Key Account Manager Gauteng Java Developer-CT Western Cape - Cape Town Java Developer-Jozi Gauteng Account Manager R460,000-540,000 Per Annum Cost To Company Plus Benefits Gauteng Account Manager R460,000-540,000 Per Annum Market Related Plus Benefits South Africa Case Manager R210,000-220,000 Per Annum Negotiable Gauteng - Pretoria Find more jobs Register your CV Post a job