What’s holding up the research on tendon injuries using stem cells? With the new administration in Washington, D.C., I thought this was going to be something we would see sooner than later.

Many people support the use of stem cell research but government regulation (both in the U.S. and in Europe) has slowed the process of study in this area. Change in hard fought legislation such as the restriction of government funds to support embryonic stem cell research won’t change over night.

In the meantime, scientists have started looking elsewhere for solutions to the problem (e.g., whole blood, platelet-rich plasma). But for those who have stuck with stem cell therapy, here’s a little idea of the status of this area of study:

  • There are more animal studies than human studies in the area of stem cell research for tendons. The application to racehorses who need spring and speed has developed much faster than in humans (athletes). Clinical trials in humans are definitely needed before stem cell therapy becomes a reality for tendon problems.
  • Even though the exact mechanism by which stem cell therapy works remains somewhat of a mystery, the limited studies done so far in the area of tendon healing are very encouraging.
  • Stem cells from skin and adipose (fat cells) are easy to harvest, plentiful, and seem to work well in tendon healing.
  • Efforts are being made to find a way to use stem cells from skin and bone to replace/rebuild rotator cuff tears (a common injury in humans). Most of the results have been positive but the studies have been done on mice, rabbits, and pigs.
  • Pharmaceutical research and development is focused on finding a way to provide off-the-shelf (ready-to-use) sources of stem cells to avoid the time and expense of harvesting and expanding cells retrieved from the injured athlete (or patient).

    To date, there are over 1000 studies published in the area of stem cell research for tendon healing. There is every reason to believe from these reported results that although hampered by government regulation, advances are being made in the area of cell therapy and tissue engineering.

    Even with obstacles, the ingenuity of scientists to think outside the box has moved the field of study ahead significantly in the last 20 years. Evidence is still fairly limited and long-term results are absent for now. This may change in time with more resources dedicated in the future to stem cell therapy.