Donald O Freytes
North Carolina State University, NC·Biomedical Engineering
Scarring of the vocal folds, the tissue in the voice box that vibrates to make sound, along with other injuries to the larynx and windpipe, contributes to voice disorders affecting about 20 million Americans each year. Treatment often relies on invasive surgery.
- Fields
Biomedical Engineering
Medicine & Clinical Research
Biochemistry
- Topics
vocal fold scarring
vocal folds
voice disorders
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Nov 2029
What they work on
- Identify the molecules in a vocal fold lamina propria extract (VFLPx) that reduce scarring and kill microbes, using proteomic analysis, which profiles all proteins present, and targeted assays.
- Test whether VFLPx promotes healing in a rabbit model of vocal fold injury, comparing direct injection with aerosolized delivery, alone and combined.
- Evaluate the safety of breathing nebulized VFLPx in a rat model, measuring effects on lung function and the respiratory system to judge its suitability for long-term use.
More about the research
This project develops a gentler alternative: an extract made from the vocal fold lamina propria (VFLPx), the soft connective layer of the vocal fold. Earlier results showed that VFLPx reduces the activity of fibrotic genes, genes that drive scar formation.
Why it matters
People with voice disorders caused by vocal fold scarring or laryngeal injury could eventually gain a non-invasive, inhalable or injectable treatment that reduces scarring and supports healing. This could lessen the reliance on surgery and the healthcare burden of these conditions.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Neel Bhatt
University of Washington, WA·Medicine & Clinical Research·Early-career
Quantify neuromuscular changes in the aging larynx of a rat model using laryngeal evoked response studies, which record the compound motor action potential (CMAP) after stimulating the recurrent laryngeal nerve.
Bernard Rousseau
Saint Louis University, MO·Medicine & Clinical Research
Quantify how methylprednisolone, a glucocorticoid steroid drug, changes the permeability of the vocal fold epithelial barrier, using in vitro experiments.
Laura Toles
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, TX·Medicine & Clinical Research·Early-career
Identify personality traits and daily voice behaviors that come before phonotrauma, by following vocally healthy college freshman singers for three years with personality inventories, ambulatory voice monitoring and high-speed videoendoscopy.
The school
North Carolina State University: 40 labs on PI Pages, $717M a year on research, 603 research doctorates a year.
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