The human voice box is a delicate, complex and highly specialized structure that enables the fine control and wondrous beauty of speech and song. When vocal cords are damaged, recovery and healing are difficult and lengthy. At UVA, Dr. James Daniero established the Interdisciplinary Voice and Swallowing Clinic, specializing in surgeries of the airways and the vocal cords. He met Dr. Donald Griffin, professor of Biomedical Engineering, and together they developed a plan to design new materials to rebuild tissue and accelerate wound healing in the airway and vocal cords. Together, they are laying down the groundwork for a first, in-human clinical trial for vocal cord reconstruction.

In this episode we learn about how biomaterials are engineered for tissue scaffolding in unique environments within our bodies and how these entrepreneurial professors are solving challenges inside and outside the research lab. Dr. Griffin and Dr. Daniero are exploring applications of biomaterial scaffolds for applications in cleft palate and intubation injuries, providing scaffolds for the patient’s own tissue to regrow naturally and permanently.

Dr. Daniero is the Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at UVA School of Medicine and a practicing head and neck surgeon at UVA Health. He also co-founded RefluxRaft, providing a supplement-based treatment for Acid Reflux. Dr. Daniero relentlessly pursues solving patient problems and materializing treatments through deep research and force of will.

Dr. Griffin is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and the Director of the BME Graduate Program. He is the co-founder of a growing biomaterials company, Tempo Therapeutics, which creates minimally invasive and precision engineered tissue scaffolds using proprietary designs of Microporous Annealed Particle Gels (MAPs).

Follow Dr. Jim Daniero's

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-daniero-45696b1b5/

UVA Health Profile: https://uvahealth.com/findadoctor/James-Daniero-1386817484

Learn more about RefluxRaft: https://refluxraft.com/

Follow Dr. Don Griffin

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-griffin-b737a3155/

UVA BME profile: https://engineering.virginia.edu/faculty/donald-richieri-griffin

Learn more about Tempo Therapeutics: https://www.tempothera.com/technology/

Director & Host: Dasha Tyshlek, StratCraft, Inc. www.strat-craft.com

Executive Producer: David Chen, Managing Director & Instructor of Engineering Design, UVA

Senior Producer: Hannah Moore, Associate Director, UVA Coulter

Design Director: Carolyn Wagner, Inc. & Link: carolynwagnerinc.com

Produced on behalf of Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research at University of Virginia https://engineering.virginia.edu/centers-institutes/coulter-center-translational-research