BME Collaboration- Engineering in Medicine Pilot Project Grant

IU Otolaryngology and Purdue faculty join together in research to improve patient care

By Jill Jansen, Jill Jansen Communications, Inc.

With some exciting bench-to-bedside research with colleagues at Purdue University, the IU School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery is proving that unlike on the playing field, there is no intrastate rivalry when it comes to innovation. In fact, in translational research that seeks to improve patient care, the name of the game is collaboration and a shared mission.

In partnership with faculty in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering at Purdue, the department received a 2023 Engineering in Medicine Pilot Project grant, funded through a unique partnership between IU School of Medicine and the Purdue College of Engineering. The goal of the partnership, which was expanded in 2019, is to harness the strengths of two of Indiana’s leading academic research programs to develop novel technologies, products and approaches to advance patient care.

“There is a significant need in otolaryngology for leading-edge devices and novel applications, so it only makes sense to take advantage of the environment we’re in with a top-tier engineering school right here in Indiana,” said Jonathan Ting, MD, MS, MBA, chair, Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. “Even before IU School of Medicine’s formal partnership with Purdue, faculty in our department have been working with Purdue biomedical engineers on products to enhance care for our patients.”

Innovative surgical sealant shows promise

The department’s research to develop a bio-based sealant for use in minimally invasive skull base surgery was one of six projects to earn $50,000 in the first year of the Engineering in Medicine pilot program. The research, led by Vijay Ramakrishnan, MD, professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery, Julie Liu, PhD, associate professor of chemical engineering at Purdue, and Ting, is based on the development of a surgical adhesive compound*, inspired by the biological properties of mollusks, that is effective in wet environments.

“One of the strengths of this family of adhesive materials we’ve developed at Purdue is that these biomaterials are particularly strong in bonding underwater,” said Liu. “In evaluating whether it will work in biomedical applications, we tested it on different tissues and found that it worked well with dura mater. That’s when we started to collaborate with Dr. Ting and Dr. Ramakrishnan on possible clinical applications in otolaryngology.”

In addition to the chemical properties that allow mollusks to bond to surfaces, the sealant’s formulation includes zein, a protein found in corn, and tannic acid, which is found in plants. The research team is currently evaluating the sealant in the suture-less repair of cerebrospinal fluid leaks. Funding from the Engineering in Medicine pilot program is being used to evaluate biocompatibility and test how well the sealant holds up under pressure.

“There are a handful of existing glues and adhesives that have helped in reconstruction of rhinologic and endoscopic procedures, but there’s room for improvement to make surgeries easier and recovery more reliable,” said Ramakrishnan. “At this point in our research, the preclinical models suggest that this sealant, which is a natural substance, withstands higher than normal human intracranial pressure and is not toxic.So far, the results are promising, and we’re very encouraged.”

In addition to Ramakrishnan and Liu, Abigail Cox, DVM, PhD, associate professor in the Purdue Department of Comparative Pathobiology, is a co-principal investigator on the grant.

NIH-funded research targets new treatments

For more than a decade, Stacey Halum, MD, FACS, associate professor of otolaryngology—head and neck surgery, has collaborated with Weldon School Professor Sherry Harbin, PhD, on National Institutes of Health-funded research focused on larynx reconstruction and laryngeal paralysis. Combining their two areas of expertise—Halum’s in stem cell research and Harbin’s in novel forms of fabricated collagen—the two have created tissue-engineered, self-innervating muscle that could be used to replace portions of the larynx.

“In large animal models, we’ve been able to engineer tissues to form all three layers of the larynx—the outer cartilage, the muscle and the inner layer,” Halum said. “Our models have done beautifully with the reconstructed larynx—they regain muscle function and are able to swallow and voice very well with the tissue-engineered larynx.”

Discovery of this new treatment approach could be life-changing for people facing total laryngectomies.

“It’s been a goal of Dr.Harbin’s and mine for a long time to find ways to offer patients something better,” Halum said. “It’s the impact on patients and the desire to help help improve their quality of life that has driven our work and collaboration over the past decade.”

With a second NIH grant, Halum and Harbin are working on treatment for laryngeal paralysis. Their current large animal studies involve de-innervating the paralyzed larynx and injecting engineered cells and collagen in the larynx to stimulate innervation. At one-month post-op, the models are showing the important growth factors that signal prominent re-innervation.

“The successes we’ve been able to achieve thus far are novel,” Harbin said. “The work we’re doing is shifting the paradigms for how researchers and clinicians think about the human body’s capacity to regenerate.”

Continued support for collaboration

As IU School of Medicine and the Purdue College of Engineering continue to formalize their research partnership, faculty in the Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery are committed to support existing collaborations and establish new ones. A working group of otolaryngology faculty and faculty from the Weldon School meets bimonthly to discuss potential research endeavors. This year, a new immersion program for undergraduate biomedical engineering students, sponsored by the otolaryngology department, is providing shadowing and other learning opportunities with clinical faculty.

“What these two institutions have been able to build over the years is a collaborative spirit,” Harbin said. “And the Department of Otolaryngology’s outreach and engagement with us at Purdue has been outstanding—truly an exemplar.”

Capitalizing on the expertise and strengths of both universities, this collaborative, team-based approach to translational biomedical research has unlimited potential to improve the lives of patients with life-altering conditions.

“So much of how people perceive and experience the world is rooted in otolaryngology—speech, hearing and the senses of smell and taste,” Ting said. “Through continued partnership with our colleagues at Purdue, there are countless opportunities to find better ways to care for our patients on all fronts.”

Benefits of Engineering in Medicine collaborations

Faculty members from the Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery and biomedical engineering faculty from Purdue University weigh in on the advantages of translational research collaborations.

“The greatest advantage of this type of collaboration is the different perspectives that clinicians and biomedical engineers bring to the table. It’s what really makes the difference in moving these projects forward and creating products and devices that advance the current standard of care.”
Stacey L . Halum, MD, FACS
Associate Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
IU School of Medicine

“Innovation requires a diverse team with good ideas and different approaches to clinical problems. There’s only so much one person can do, and it’s impossible to be an expert in everything. Team-based science and collaboration are what propels innovation and new advancements forward.”
Vijay R . Ramakrishnan, MD
Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
IU School of Medicine

“In otolaryngology, there’s a nice combination of devices, materials and cellular therapies that benefit from the interaction of the clinician, engineer and scientist. No one person can tackle these clinical challenges.”
Sherry L. Harbin, PhD
Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Basic Medical Sciences
Purdue University

“From a researcher’s perspective, talking to clinicians and having their input and involvement improves the studies. To learn about their surgical processes and how they will actually use a product or device can help us design better research and hopefully achieve better results.”
Julie C . Liu, PhD
Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering^[1]these glues in biomedical applications.[/footnote]
Purdue University

* The material used in this surgical adhesive compound was developed by Jonathan Wilker, PhD, professor of inorganic chemistry, and Gudrun Schmidt, PhD, associate professor of practice, in the Purdue Department of Chemistry. Drs. Wilker and Schmidt collaborate with Dr. Liu in using ^[2]these glues in biomedical applications .