Читать книгу The SAGE Encyclopedia of Stem Cell Research - Группа авторов - Страница 308

Tendons are made of cells called tenocytes. Repair of the tendons takes place mainly due to the formation of scar tissue in the adult and it takes about a year or two to mature. The healed tissue contains fibroblast and fibrous tissue that form the scar tissue and that are not essentially the tendon cell type. Therefore, to hasten this process and to make them more robust, tendon wounds are treated through various methods.

As described above, in cartilage regeneration, stem cells that are derived from various sources are used. The cells then differentiate into tenocytes in vitro. With BMP-12, which is a subclass in the family of BMP proteins, the stem cells differentiate into tenocytes. BMP12 is transferred into the cells by using gene therapy, and this triggers the differentiation using the pluripotency network. The tenocytes are applied to the site of the wound directly where the wound environment provides the appropriate cues for further differentiation and proliferation.

These regeneration therapies have been tested in several animal models such as mouse, chicken, rabbit, sheep, and monkeys. Very few have been extended to human subjects. The clinical trial for the regeneration of tendons is the technology wherein the tenocytes are applied to the site of the wound that promotes regeneration. Similar to cartilage, scaffolds are also used to deliver these cells to the site of the wound.

Taking the treatment from animal models to human subjects requires the collaboration of cell and molecular biologists and surgeons to work together to concur on the cellular mechanics and delivery of the scaffold. There are several lobbyist groups such as the arthritis foundation that are pushing boundaries to take the therapy to the next level.