The Tympanic Membrane

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The Tympanic Membrane

• Reconstruction and Repair of the Tympanic
  Membrane using Electro-spun scaffolds and Adult
  Adipose Stem Cells
• Dr. Gary Bowlin

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Overview

• Introduction
• Perforations
• Current Procedures
• Electro-spinning
• Nanotechnology
• Collagen Extraction
• Future Plans

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The Ear

• Responsible for the ability to hear
• Composed of different tissues for a subsequent
  function
• Three main divisions are
• the outer or external ear
• the middle ear
• the inner ear
• When sound reaches the ear, the outer ear
  captures and funnels the sound through to the
  tympanic membrane which separates the external
  and middle ear.

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• The ear lobe (pinna or auricle)
• The ear canal, through which sound waves pass to
  the ear drum
• The ear drum (which separates the outer ear from
  the middle ear)

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• The inner part of the ear drum
• The hammer (malleus)

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Tympanic Membrane (TM)

• More commonly known as the ear drum, the tympanic
  membranes function is to convert air pressure
  waves into fluid vibrations in the middle ear. As
  these fluid waves travel to the inner ear, they
  are converted to nerve impulses that are sent as
  signals to the brain.
• The TM covers the middle ear and reduces the risk
  of infection.
• There are two main parts of the TM the pars
  flaccida and the pars tensa.
• http//video.google.com/videoplay?docid1748623724
  625888180qtympanicmembranehlen

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The tympanic membrane viewed from within.
(Testut.)

• 1. Tympanic membrane
• 2. Umbo.
• 3. Handle of the malleus.
• 4. Pars flaccida.
• 5. Pars tensa

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Perforations

• Causes of Tympanic Membrane perforation
• Chronic Ear Infection
• Q-tip accident
• Chronic ear infections
• Pediatric ventilation tube insertion
• Proximity to explosives or bomb
• Slap on the head or ear
• Current procedure for repairing the perforation
  is to take a graft and patch the whole.

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Levels of Hearing Loss
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Current Procedures

• Two surgeries are practiced to repair and replace
  a ruptured TM
• Myringoplasty- reconstruction of a perforation of
  the TM
• Tympanoplasty- reconstruction of the TM
• These surgeries use skin grafts from the person
  having the surgery (Temproalis fascia), another
  human, pigs, cows, or a synthetic membrane.

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The Need

• Chronic Ear Infections
• Current Procedures
• Use skin grafts with different tissue composition
• Surgery not always performed correctly
• Unmeasured successful hearing improvement
• Large potential to improve hearing

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Calcification
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Plan for the HHMI Research

• I plan to use the technique of electrospinning
  polymers to make a scaffold to repair/replace the
  damaged TM and provide an area for cells to
  migrate to.
• Collagen I and III are the main tissue components
  of structural elements that support the TM in
  developmental stages.
• The increasing concentration of Hyaluronan (a
  polysaccharide) in the extra-cellular matrix
  directly correlates to the increase in rate of
  healing time.

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Nanotechnology

• Nanotechnology is so important to the medical
  profession because the particles and fibers
  designed are so small.
• Cells thousands of nm nano-fibers less than one
  hundred nm
• Electrospinning

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Electrospinning

• Electrospinning is a process that uses an
  electrical charge direct the fabrication of
  polymer nano-fibers.
• A polymer solution is squeezed out of a syringe
  that has an electric charge induced upon it. As
  the solution comes out of the tip, the solvent
  evaporates leaving the excited polymer to collect
  on a mandrel.
• This process creates nano-fibers that can serve
  as scaffolds for tissue engineering.
• http//nano.mtu.edu/Electrospinning_start.html
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vaU-snq3ZyqA
• http//vram3c.vcu.edu/mail/usermail2/degrootay.nsf
  /(Inbox)/45e75eeb13167c448525731e007cdbd4/Body/M2
  /HPIM1299.AVI?OpenElement

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Electrospinning fibers onto a rotating mandrel.
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Scaffolds

• Nano-fibers make a matrix similar to the bodys
  extra cellular matrix
• Scaffolds can be used in different parts of the
  body
• Membranes
• Skin
• Bone
• Damaged Tissue

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Different Fiber Composition
Carbon Tubules
Electrospun nonwoven fiber mat
Carbon Nanofiber Hairs
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Collagen

• Triple Helix Matrix protein
• Connective Tissue
• Used in
• Facial creams
• Burn victims
• Orthopedic and surgical uses

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Blending
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Saline Drip
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Insanity that follows
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Dialysis
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Adult Adipose Stem Cells

• These cells have been gathered from liposuction
  patients extra fat.
• Differentiate into bone, cartilage, fat, and
  muscle

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Histology

• For the scaffolds, a histology stain must be done
  to determine what types of materials have been
  produced by the cells.
• It can also tell if the cells have migrated
  bellow the surface of the cell.
• These stains are of the different types of
  electro-spun scaffolds.

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Future Research Plans

• Return to Dr. Bowlins Lab
• Design a Collagen I, Collagen III, Fibrinogen,
  Elastin, and Hylauron scaffold
• Test for cell migration
• Investigate the possibilities of Stem Cell Usage

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Bibliography

• http//academic.kellogg.cc.mi.us/herbrandsonc/bio2
  01_McKinley/f19-21_anatomic_regions_c.jpg
• www.bartleby.com/107/illus910.html
• www.ent.com.au/Clinical20Ear20Images.htm
• http//www.fpnotebook.com/EntTympanicMembraneNorma
  l.jpg
• web.mit.edu/.../projects/electrospinning.html
• www2.hmc.edu/orwin/scaf.htmlx
• www.brown.edu/.../InsideBrown/2005/111505b.html
• Raney, Rance W. Myringoplasty and Tympanoplasty.
  1995 www.bcm.edu/oto/grand/21695.htm
• www.hearingcentral.com/howtheearworks.asp
• www.pivot.net/jpierce/nanotechnology.htm
• users.wpi.edu/gpins/research.html

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Acknowledgments

• Dr. Bowlin
• Dr. Johnson and Dr. Buck
• Koyal, Michael, Scott, and Yas
• HHMI program

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Thank You for Your Time.

• Have a nice day!