Mega-star singers Roger Daltrey, Steven Tyler and Julie Andrews have thrown their support behind ground-breaking research in Boston, to produce synthetic vocal cords for people who cannot speak because of disease or injury.
A team of scientists has developed a polymer based shell with a unique balance of softness and pliability allowing it to vibrate just like real vocal cords. When the synthetic gel was injected into animals it worked perfectly. But the next big challenge is to conduct human trials in order to see if the the synthetic vocal cord works at all or requires any tweaks and modifications in humans.
Whatever the case may turn out to be, project leading scientists are optimistic that there is a good chance millions of people who cannot speak today will have a voice in the near future.
Original story by Ben Gruber for Reuters News: