Lab Update – Stacey Halum, MD

NIH-funded grants support vocal fold paralysis research Laboratory of Stacey Halum

Associate professor Stacey Halum, MD, has two R01 grants funded through the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (part of the National Institutes of Health) for her research into treatments for vocal fold paralysis and devastating vocal injuries.

Her novel approach for restoring vocal fold muscle volume and function after injury using stem cells from large animal models has continued to progress since it began nearly a decade ago. Halum has grown the laryngeal implant reconstructive surgery on the large animals has been showing signs of treatment options for vocal cord injury and paralysis. Results should lead to clinical innovations relevant to voice restoration and muscle repair.

In 2021, Halum received her second NIH-funded R01 grant to support her research developing tissue-engineered component tissue replacements that support reconstruction of the larynx for patients who have suffered vocal injuries from surgery on the larynx. Using large animal models, the research team are using a patented collagen polymer using stem cells to fabricate the tissue-engineered implants. The long-term goal of the project is to use a patient’s own stem cells in the implants as a way to reconstruct the patient’s larynx.

Halum, who rejoined the Department of Otolaryngology in 2020, collaborates on this research with Sherry Harbin, PhD, professor in Purdue University’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. The Department of Otolaryngology is partnering with Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering to lead research to improve patient care and improve educational opportunities.