Results from lab tests and limited human trials show that these drugs can improve lung capacity by 10% or cut collagen production by 70%.

FORBES: Scar Wars

An alternative type of laryngoplasty involves injection of purified fats, Gelfoam, collagen or alloderm tissues such as Cymetra which may be performed in a clinic setting under local anesthesia or occasionally under general anesthesia.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

In the procedure, called injection augmentation of the vocal folds, a doctor threads an endoscope through the patient's nose or mouth into the throat, then injects a tiny amount of collagen, fat, hyaluronic acid or a gel filler into the vocal cords to plump them up.

WSJ: How to Take Years Off Your Voice

Fibrogen's other approach, a joint effort with Japan's Sankyo , is to screen thousands of small-moleculeproteins on their shelves and those of other firms to see whether one or two will block CTGF from binding with receptors or knock out one of the collagen-producing signals that CTGF sends into a cell nucleus.

FORBES: Scar Wars

The rate of scarring outpaces collagen's natural breakdown, choking the life out of the organ or paralyzing a limb.

FORBES: Scar Wars