PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Tissue-engineered implants provide new hope for vocal injuries

2021-02-24
(Press-News.org) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - New technology from Purdue University and Indiana University School of Medicine innovators may one day help patients who suffer devastating vocal injuries from surgery on the larynx.

A collaborative team consisting of Purdue biomedical engineers and clinicians from IU has tissue-engineered component tissue replacements that support reconstruction of the larynx. The team's work is published in The Laryngoscope.

The larynx is a very complex human organ consisting of outer cartilage for structural support, inner muscle that contracts to permit voicing, swallowing, and breathing, and inner vibratory lining.

Currently, thousands of patients each year with laryngeal cancer or trauma require a procedure called total laryngectomy in which the entire larynx is removed, and patients are left without a human voice and breathing through a hole in their neck called a stoma.

"There are very few options for laryngeal reconstruction and no options for restoration of laryngeal appearance, structure and function," said Stacey Halum, a fellowship-trained laryngologist specializing in head and neck surgery. "While surgeons occasionally use local or free tissue transfers to repair laryngeal defects, these local or regional tissues just 'plug holes' or close the defects without really restoring function because the transferred tissues are not dynamic - they do not move or contract. They also tend to lose bulk and scar over time."

Halum, along with Sherry Harbin, a professor in Purdue's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, led the innovation team.

The innovators used a patented collagen polymer developed by Harbin's lab to fabricate the three regenerative replacement tissues for the laryngeal reconstruction procedure.

"Our approach is unique in that we are using customized engineered tissue replacements, with the muscle component fabricated using the patient's own muscle progenitor cells," Harbin said. "We believe these engineering approaches will provide patients with better options for reconstruction so that total laryngectomies become something of the past."

Harbin and Halum believe the technology has widespread applications for custom fabrication of engineered tissue replacements for tissue restoration in other parts of the body.

Harbin founded GeniPhys, a Purdue startup focused on the commercialization of the collagen polymer technology.

INFORMATION:

Halum is an associate professor in the IU School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery who has an adjunct appointment in Purdue's Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and sees patients at the IU Health Voice Center in Carmel, Indiana.

The project is funded by the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

The innovators worked with the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization to patent the technology. The researchers are looking for partners to continue developing and commercializing their technology. For more information on licensing and other opportunities, contact Sherry Harbin at harbins@purdue.edu.

About Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization

The Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. Services provided by this office support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the university's academic activities through commercializing, licensing and protecting Purdue intellectual property. The office is located in the Convergence Center for Innovation and Collaboration in Discovery Park District, adjacent to the Purdue campus. In fiscal year 2020, the office reported 148 deals finalized with 225 technologies signed, 408 disclosures received and 180 issued U.S. patents. The office is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. In 2020, IPWatchdog Institute ranked Purdue third nationally in startup creation and in the top 20 for patents. The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Contact otcip@prf.org for more information.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today's toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 5 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at purdue.edu.

Writer: Chris Adam, cladam@prf.org

Source: Sherry Harbin, harbins@purdue.edu



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Oktoberfest memories increase life-satisfaction, customer loyalty

2021-02-24
RICHLAND, Wash. - No one went to Oktoberfest in 2020, but chances are those who attended in the past are still thinking about it. In a case study of the famous German beer festival, researchers tested the theory that events which create memorable experiences can increase life-satisfaction. This deep connection with customers has big benefits for associated businesses, according to Robert Harrington, lead author of the study recently published online in the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. "If you can do something that transforms people even a little bit, it can have a huge impact on the success of your company and your brand," said Harrington, professor and director of the School ...

Researchers identify 'violent' processes that cause wheezing in the lungs

2021-02-24
A team of engineers has identified the 'violent' physical processes at work inside the lungs which cause wheezing, a condition which affects up to a quarter of the world's population. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, used modelling and high-speed video techniques to show what causes wheezing and how to predict it. Their results could be used as the basis of a cheaper and faster diagnostic for lung disease that requires just a stethoscope and a microphone. Improved understanding of the physical mechanism responsible for generating wheezing sounds could provide a ...

Game theory may be useful in explaining and combating viruses

2021-02-24
A team of researchers concludes that a game-theory approach may offer new insights into both the spread and disruption of viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2. Its work, described in the journal Royal Society Interface, applies a "signaling game" to an analysis of cellular processes in illuminating molecular behavior. "We need new models and technologies at many levels in order to understand how to tame viral pandemics," explains Bud Mishra, a professor at NYU's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and one of the paper's authors. "At the biomolecular level, we explain how cellularization may be understood in ways that stymie disease and encourage healthy functioning." The analysis, which also included William Casey, ...

Overall deaths did NOT increase for most of China during initial COVID-19 outbreak

2021-02-24
A new study involving researchers from the University of Oxford and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) has examined the change in overall and cause-specific death rates during the three months of the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020. The results are published today in The BMJ. In China, the emergence of COVID-19 was first reported during mid-December 2019 in Wuhan city, Hubei province. Coinciding with the January 2020 festivities for the Chinese Lunar New Year, the virus spread rapidly across China. This led to a national lockdown on 23 January 2020, which continued until early April. The ...

'Night owls' may be twice as likely as morning 'larks' to underperform at work

2021-02-24
Night 'owls' may be twice as likely as morning 'larks' to underperform at work and to run a heightened risk of early retirement due to disability, finds research published online in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine. Given the move to lengthen working life and delay pension eligibility, it might be worth factoring in a person's chronotype, suggest the researchers. Morning chronotypes, or 'larks' tend to do better early in the morning, while evening chronotypes, or 'owls' do better in the evening. Chronotype is largely genetic, but environmental factors, such as exposure to daylight, work schedules, and family life can also influence it. Owls don't usually fall asleep early enough to get the recommended 7+ hours of sleep on ...

Plant based diet may ease painful skin ulceration of baffling blood vessel disorder

2021-02-24
A whole foods, plant based diet may ease the painful skin blistering and scarring of a baffling blood vessel disorder for which there is as yet no commonly accepted cure, and no known cause, suggest doctors in the journal BMJ Case Reports. The primary symptoms of livedoid vasculopathy are extremely painful ulcers of varying sizes on the feet and lower legs, which leave visible scars when healed. The condition affects 1 in 100,000 people, mostly women in their 30s. The symptoms can last for months to years and can recur. Poor blood flow is often associated with the condition, but the exact cause remains a mystery, and there is as yet no commonly accepted cure, note the authors. They report the case of a woman in her early 60s, whose symptoms had first started in 2006. In 2013 ...

The Lancet Public Health: Jail incarceration strongly linked with several causes of premature death in US counties

2021-02-24
Unique analysis of US county-level data finds a strong association between jail incarceration and death rates at the county level from infectious diseases, chronic lower respiratory disease, drug use, and suicide; and to a lesser extent heart disease and cancer. Findings underscore public health benefits of reducing jail incarceration and importance of interventions to mitigate the harmful effects of mass imprisonment on community health including treatment for substance use disorder and greater investment in social services. County jail incarceration rates in the USA are potential drivers of many causes of death in the communities where they are located, with particularly pronounced effects on the number of deaths caused by infectious and respiratory diseases, drug overdose, and suicide, ...

Fighting fit cockroaches have 'hidden strength'

2021-02-24
A new study has discovered that not all cockroaches are equal and "super athletes", with larger respiratory systems, are more likely to win physical mating battles. The research, published in the journal Animal Behaviour and led by Dr Sophie Mowles of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), studied aggressive interactions between male wide-horned hissing cockroaches (Gromphadorhina oblongonota). Animal contests are usually won by the larger opponent and physical fighting is often avoided if clear differences exist between competitors. However, during a series of laboratory contests, the researchers closely matched the cockroaches ...

Global travellers vulnerable to drug-resistant bacteria - study

2021-02-24
International travellers are particularly vulnerable to virulent strains of drug-resistant bacteria - often picking up several different types during a trip through spending time in the company of other tourists, a new study reveals. The global spread of intestinal multidrug resistant gram-negative (MDR-GN) bacteria poses a serious threat to human health worldwide, with MDR clones of E.coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae threatening more antibiotic resistant infections around the world. Researchers monitored a group of European travellers visiting Lao People's Democratic Republic for three weeks - analysing daily returns of ...

Incarceration is strongly linked with premature death in US

2021-02-24
An analysis of U.S. county-level data found a strong association between jail incarceration and death rates from infectious diseases, chronic lower respiratory disease, drug use, and suicide, in a new study by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The researchers found this was the case to a lesser extent for heart disease and cancer. The study is the first to examine the link between the expansion of the jail population and multiple specific causes of death at the county level, and adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that decarceration strategies would improve public health. Findings are published online in the journal Lancet ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

$1.9M NIH grant will allow researchers to explore how copper kills bacteria

New fossil discovery sheds light on the early evolution of animal nervous systems

A battle of rafts: How molecular dynamics in CAR T cells explain their cancer-killing behavior

Study shows how plant roots access deeper soils in search of water

Study reveals cost differences between Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare patients in cancer drugs

‘What is that?’ UCalgary scientists explain white patch that appears near northern lights

How many children use Tik Tok against the rules? Most, study finds

Scientists find out why aphasia patients lose the ability to talk about the past and future

Tickling the nerves: Why crime content is popular

Intelligent fight: AI enhances cervical cancer detection

Breakthrough study reveals the secrets behind cordierite’s anomalous thermal expansion

Patient-reported influence of sociopolitical issues on post-Dobbs vasectomy decisions

Radon exposure and gestational diabetes

EMBARGOED UNTIL 1600 GMT, FRIDAY 10 JANUARY 2025: Northumbria space physicist honoured by Royal Astronomical Society

Medicare rules may reduce prescription steering

Red light linked to lowered risk of blood clots

Menarini Group and Insilico Medicine enter a second exclusive global license agreement for an AI discovered preclinical asset targeting high unmet needs in oncology

Climate fee on food could effectively cut greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture while ensuring a social balance

Harnessing microwave flow reaction to convert biomass into useful sugars

Unveiling the secrets of bone strength: the role of biglycan and decorin

Revealing the “true colors” of a single-atom layer of metal alloys

New data on atmosphere from Earth to the edge of space

Self-destructing vaccine offers enhanced protection against tuberculosis in monkeys

Feeding your good gut bacteria through fiber in diet may boost body against infections

Sustainable building components create a good indoor climate

High levels of disordered eating among young people linked to brain differences

Hydrogen peroxide and the mystery of fruit ripening: ‘Signal messengers’ in plants

T cells’ capability to fully prevent acute viral infections opens new avenues for vaccine development

Study suggests that magma composition drives volcanic tremor

Sea surface temperatures and deeper water temperatures reached a new record high in 2024

[Press-News.org] Tissue-engineered implants provide new hope for vocal injuries