The Thibeault Laboratory
Faculty > Susan L. Thibeault
Susan L. Thibeault
Assistant Professor, Surgery, Biomedial Engineering, Communicative Sciences and Disorders
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Organ System/Disease Focus:
Aligned Research Focus: Tissue Engineering the Vocal Fold Lamina Propria
Research Description
My research program focuses on tissue engineering the extracellular matrix of the vocal fold lamina propria. To this end, my lab utilizes adult stem cells in addition to immortalized vocal fold fibroblast lines that we have developed. My lab group studies the interaction of varying cells to different synthetic hydrogels. We are also investigating the effects of mechanical forces on cell differentiation. Vocal folds undergo extreme variations in mechanical forces. We plan to compare the effects of different cells to such mechanical forces to see if cells change their differentiation.
Selected References
Hansen JK, Thibeault SL, Walsh JF, Shu XZ, Prestwich GD. In vivo engineering of the vocal fold ECM with injectable HA hydrogels: Early effects of tissue repair and biomechanics in a rabbit model. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2005;114(9):662-670.
Prestwich GD, Shu XZ, Lui Y, Cai S, Walsh JF, Hughes CW, Ahmad S, Kirker KR, Yu B, Orlandi RR, Park AH, Thibeault SL, Duflo S, Smith ME. Injectable Synthetic Extracellular Matrices for Tissue Engineering and Repair. Adv in Experimental Med and Biol. 2006;585:125-31.
Duflo S, Thibeault SL, Li W, Shu XZ, Prestwich G. Effect of a Synthetic Extracellular Matrix on Vocal Fold lamina Propria Gene Expression in Early Wound Healing. Tissue Eng. 2006;12(11):3201-07.
Duflo S, Thibeault SL, Li W, Shu XZ, Prestwich GD. Vocal fold tissue repair in vivo using a synthetic extracellular matrix. Tissue Eng. 2006;12(8):2171-80.