New “Molecular Glue” Gel Could Help Treat Permanent Voice Loss

A newly engineered hydrogel shows early promise for treating vocal cord injuries by persisting longer than existing injectable materials. Credit: Shutterstock

A newly engineered hydrogel could offer a longer-lasting, minimally invasive way to treat vocal cord injuries.

Researchers at McGill University have developed a new hydrogel that could one day help repair damaged vocal cords. Early results suggest the material may offer a longer-lasting treatment option for people who lose their voice after injury.

When vocal cords become scarred, voice loss is often permanent. Existing injectable therapies tend to degrade quickly inside the body, which can require repeated injections. These additional procedures may further harm the fragile tissue they are meant to heal.

A Longer-Lasting Injectable Gel

In a preclinical study published in the journal Biomaterials, the research team found that the newly designed gel remained intact for several weeks in laboratory and animal tests. It lasted longer than currently used injectable materials, potentially giving injured vocal cords more time to recover.

The hydrogel is produced from naturally occurring tissue proteins that are processed into a powder and then formed into a gel. To improve its durability, the researchers applied a technique known as click chemistry.

“This process is what makes our approach unique,” said co-senior author Maryam Tabrizian, professor in McGill’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Nanomedicine and Regenerative Medicine.

It acts like a molecular glue, locking the material together so it doesn’t fall apart too quickly once injected.”

Causes and prevalence of voice loss

Vocal cord injuries are particularly common in older adults with acid reflux or a history of smoking, as well as in people who rely heavily on their voices for work, including singers, teachers and radio hosts.

Roughly one in 13 adults experiences a voice disorder each year, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

McGill professors Maryam Tabrizian (left) and Nicole Li-Jessen examine tissue samples used to confirm the safety of the gel developed in the study. Credit: McGill University

Senior author Nicole Li-Jessen, a clinician-scientist as well as a pianist who works with singers, has seen first-hand how devastating voice loss can be for performers.

“People take their voices for granted but losing it can deeply affect mental health and quality of life, especially for those whose livelihoods depend on it,” said Li-Jessen, associate professor in McGill’s School of Communication Sciences and Disorders and Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Personalized Medicine of Upper Airway Health and Diseases.

Next steps

The researchers are now looking to test the gel in computer simulations that mimic how it behaves in the body. Once those results are validated, they hope to move toward human trials. If successful, the work could pave the way for a minimally invasive, longer-lasting treatment for voice loss.

Reference: “Clicktetrazine dECM–alginate hydrogels for injectable, mechanically mimetic, and biologically active vocal fold biomaterials” by Mika Brown, Hideaki Okuyama, Ling Li, Zhen Yang, Jianyu Li, Maryam Tabrizian and Nicole Y.K. Li-Jessen, 5 August 2025, Biomaterials.

DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2025.123590

The research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Canada Research Chair research stipends.

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