SUMMARY
David G. Lott, M.D., is an expert in regenerative medicine and otolaryngology (ENT)/head and neck surgery who is dedicated to conducting research to improve options for disorders of the voice box (larynx) and windpipe (trachea). Dr. Lott's ground-breaking work includes bioengineering of laryngeal and tracheal tissues, laryngeal transplantation techniques and immunotherapy, laryngeal cancer, and functional outcomes of laryngeal surgical procedures.
In early 2024, a team at Mayo Clinic led by Dr. Lott performed the world's first laryngeal transplant on a person with active cancer, marking a groundbreaking achievement in total larynx transplant.
Dr. Lott is associate director of the Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Regenerative medicine and regenerative biotherapeutics are emerging fields that are shifting the focus of health care from treating disease to rebuilding health. The emphasis is on repairing, replacing and restoring diseased tissues, cells and organs. Dr. Lott also conducts research and clinical work through the Arizona campus of the Regenerative Medicine Therapeutic Suites, which opened in January 2023.
Dr. Lott's National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Head and Neck Regenerative Medicine Laboratory uses all components of regenerative medicine — scaffold generation, stem cell differentiation and acellular therapeutics — to develop processes and products to regenerate head and neck structures.
Dr. Lott is the founder and medical director of the Larynx and Trachea Transplant Program. The multidisciplinary team in the program is pioneering advances in larynx and trachea transplantation after damage or loss from cancer, disease or trauma.
Email Dr. Lott's lab for more information.
Focus areas
- Laryngeal transplantation
- Tissue engineering in laryngeal and airway reconstruction
- Idiopathic subglottic stenosis
- Voice outcomes in laryngeal cancer resection
Significance to patient care
Dr. Lott's research efforts are aimed at restoring normal function of the larynx and trachea. This allows patients to regain or preserve the ability to breathe, swallow and speak.
Professional highlights
- Associate director, Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, 2017-present
- Featured, Distinguished Scientist Exhibit, Mayo Clinic Research Information Center, Rochester, Minnesota, 2016-present
- Mayo Clinic Distinguished Clinician, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2021
- Top Provider Recognition Award, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2020
- Featured, Distinguished Scientist Exhibit, Museum of Science & History, Jacksonville, Florida, 2017
- Featured article, "First Look: Lab-Grown Voice Boxes Aim to Offer a New Option for Larynx Cancer Patients," STAT Plus, 2017
- Collaborative Travel Award, Mayo Clinic-Karolinska Institutet, 2017
- Young Faculty/Practitioner Award, American Laryngological Association, 2017
- Featured article, "Giving Them Their Voice," Mayo Clinic Magazine, 2016
- Transform the Practice Award, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2016
- First place poster award, Fall Voice Conference, 2016
- Best Original Research Article Award, Movement Disorders, 2016
- Top Voice Doctors in America, Billboard Magazine, 2015