Harvard’s 3D-Printed Eardrum Repair Patch is Awaiting Market Acceptance

Eardrum perforations can cause pain in addition to hearing loss and are difficult to repair. The PhonoGraft is a 3D-printed implant created by Harvard scientists that may cure harm by stimulating natural cell renewal. It is presently available for sale.

The eardrum, or tympanic the membrane itself, is a thin, round segment of tissue that vibrates in response to sound waves and turns sound into electrical signals that the brain can analyze. However, it can’t carry out that function if it has been entered by an external object, such as a cotton tip, or if it has been injured by loud noises. Keeping that boundary open can lead to infections, and germs can penetrate inside the inner ear and produce a serious illness.

Currently, the best treatment is known as tympanoplasty, which comprises of closing the hole and using grafts of the patient’s own tissue. However, the end result does not convey sound as well as a healthy eardrum, and the operation necessitates making a cut behind the ear; the procedure can frequently go wrong and must be repeated.

The PhonoGraft was designed to address these challenges. The implant is designed to resemble the intricate form of the natural eardrum, which is patterned with “spokes” like a bike wheel and is made from a newly developed synthetic polymer-based ink for 3D printing. Not only does the implant restore hearing, but it also serves as a framework for the recipient’s own cells to regenerate. Chinchillas, who have similar ear makeup and hearing frequencies to humans, performed well in tests.

According to Aaron Remenschneider, a project researcher, the project team had a true eureka moment three months after implanting their optimized graft into the chinchilla’s ear. Aaron Remenschneider goes on to claim that the hearing tests revealed complete restoration of sound conduction, which had been a major challenge. Aaron Remenschneider also stated that once the team had their initial look down the ear canal with the endoscope, they were only able to see the ghost of the graft that was being replaced with new tissue–a wonderfully repaired eardrum that had a radial-circular layout.

The PhonoGraft can also be put through the ear canal, making the treatment less obtrusive.

Harvard’s Wyss Institute established a company named Beacon Bio with the goal of bringing the gadget to market. Desktop Health recently got the same–a step that prepares it for the market. The team is currently attempting to obtain FDA authorisation to administer the PhonoGraft to human patients. Several other analogous implants, such as the ClearDrum in Australia, are also in the pipeline.