Researchers Develop Polymer Gel to Restore Normal Functioning of Vocal Cords

A polymer gel has been developed by researchers from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that imitates the vibrations of vocal cords of humans.

The material could help millions of people suffering with voice disorders. The polymer gel could be fixed into scarred vocal cords to enable them to function normally.

A laryngeal surgery professor at Harvard Medical School, Steven Zeitels began the development of a novel material that could help restore the normal functioning of vocal cords. Steven Zeitels has received support from Robert Langer, professor in the MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering who is an expert in creating polymers for biomedical applications. Langer and Zeitels team formulated a polymer gel using polyethylene glycol (PEG). Scientists can control viscoelasticity of the material by changing the linkage and structure of PEG molecules. Researchers expect to start clinical trial testing of the material next year.

The team has developed and tested many variations of PEG and chosen one variation which they named as PEG30 that is ideally suited for human vocal cords and has the right viscoelasticity. Various laboratory tests have been conducted on this variation type. The tests concluded that the vibrations caused due to blowing of air on a PEG30 vocal-fold model is very much like vibrations that occur in human vocal folds. In addition, the tests proved that vibration can be restored to rigid non-vibrating folds similar to those observed in patients having vocal-fold scarring.