Speaker : Jae-Yol Lim, MD, PhD (Dept. of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Inha University School of Medicine)
Date :2013-01-0
Location : Room 106，Pharmacy Hall, Dankook University
Abstract : Laryngeal tissue engineering has emerged in the last decade, although clinical applications are rare. Research on laryngeal tissue engineering includes vocal fold (VF) regeneration for prevention or treatment of vocal fold scar, VF scaffolding surgery (augmentation laryngoplasty) for treatment of glottal insufficiency, laryngeal nerve regeneration for functional restoration of vocal cord paralysis, and laryngeal cartilage regeneration for laryngeal framework reconstruction.
VF scar is one of the most common intractable dysphonia caused by vocal abuse, surgery, or inflammation and still remains therapeutic challenge. Therapeutic strategies based on the principles of tissue engineering are receiving increasing attention in order to prevent or reverse VF scar. These strategies include not only cell therapy using stem/progenitor cells or VF fibroblasts, but also the development of scaffolds such as hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel and xenogeneic ECM or the delivery of soluble bioactive molecules such as growth factors and cytokines. Here I address the current status of research on VF regeneration based on review from recent in vivo and in vitro studies, and our experiments.
Vocal cord paralysis by recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) damage is another cause of severe dysphonia and commonly results in serious complications such as communication impairment, aspiration, and dysphagia. However, reconstruction of RLN remains surgical challenge. For the treatment of vocal cord paralysis, VF scaffolding surgery such as injection laryngoplasty using a variety of biomaterials are in clinical use. Recently, biodegradable nerve guide conduits (NGC) have been successfully found to reconstruct the nerve defect.
The aim of this lecture was to give a comprehensive overview about current knowledge in the field of laryngeal tissue engineering and regenerative medicine and furthermore to elucidate further trends in this fascinating field.