Throat bacteria and healing after voice-box injuries
Official title: Microbial modulation of mucosal wound healing in the larynx
Funded at University of Wisconsin-Madison · NIH-11306061 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how microbes living on the voice box affect healing after throat injuries to help people with voice problems recover better.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Wisconsin-Madison NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $187,715 |
| NIH project number | 5R21DC021012-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11306061 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This grant does not enroll patients directly; its results are most relevant to people who have had laryngeal injury, throat surgery, radiation to the neck, or chronic inflammatory voice disorders.
✕Less likely to help
People whose voice problems are caused mainly by nerve or neurological conditions rather than mucosal injury are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
Researchers will use controlled lab models that mimic the larynx to track how microbial communities change during tissue repair. They will create a temporary injury to the throat lining in these models and follow stages of healing while measuring inflammation and barrier-protecting molecules. By comparing animals with normal microbes, no microbes, or selected bacterial species, they aim to identify which bacteria speed repair or promote scarring. The findings are intended to reveal microbial targets that could one day reduce scarring and improve voice recovery.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could point to new microbiome-based ways to reduce scarring and improve voice recovery after laryngeal injury.
How similar studies have gone: Most prior laryngeal microbiome studies have only cataloged microbes, so using germ-free and controlled injury models to show causal bacterial roles is relatively new and unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: An, Ran — University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Study coordinator: An, Ran
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.