Scalable and High-Throughput In Vitro Vibratory Platform for Vocal Fold Tissue Engineering Applications

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cell Biology
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Vocal folds (VFs) undergo constant mechanical stress, altering their biomechanical properties.
• Understanding VF cellular responses in a controlled mechanical setting is crucial for developing effective long-term treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, develop, and characterize a scalable, high-throughput platform simulating the in vitro mechanical microenvironment of vocal folds.
• To enable the study of cellular responses to phonatory stimuli in a controlled manner.

Main Methods:

• A novel platform was created using a 24-well plate with a flexible membrane over a piezoelectric speaker waveguide.
• Laser Doppler Vibrometry (LDV) characterized membrane displacements under various vibratory regimes.
• Human vocal fold fibroblasts and mesenchymal stem cells were cultured and exposed to different mechanical stimuli.

Main Results:

• The platform successfully exposed cells to tunable vibratory frequencies mimicking phonatory stimuli.
• Gene expression analysis revealed cellular responses, including pro-fibrotic and pro-inflammatory markers.
• The platform's design supports scalability, accommodating standard 6- to 96-well plate formats, surpassing current bioreactor limitations.

Conclusions:

• The developed platform offers a scalable and modular solution for in vitro mechanical stimulation of vocal fold cells.
• This technology facilitates the characterization of cellular behavior under physiologically relevant mechanical conditions.
• It provides a valuable tool for advancing research in vocal fold repair and regenerative medicine.