The April 2006 issue of the prestigious scientific journal Journal of Clinical Investigation reports on an innovative method for the reconstruction of tendon tissue developed by a group of researchers, led by Prof. Dan Gazit from the Faculty of Dentistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Whether you're a professional athlete or a weekend exerciser, you're likely to enjoy the fruits of cutting-edge research showing that new tendon tissue can be created from engineered stem cells. Injuries to the connective tissues, tendons and ligaments are a fundamental clinical challenge for the field of orthopedics in contemporary medicine. Every year, about 200 patients in the US suffering from various problems with tendons and ligaments are operated on. Also, the intervertebral disc, which is partly composed of tendon-like tissue, tends to degenerate over the years. This phenomenon causes lower back pain (familiar to all of us) and in severe cases - disability in movement. So far, damaged tendons and ligaments have been replaced with implants taken from the patient himself or from tissue banks or with synthetic implants, but none of these solutions have provided long-term relief.
The April 2006 issue of the prestigious scientific journal Journal of Clinical Investigation reports on an innovative method for tendon tissue reconstruction developed by a group of researchers, led by Prof. Dan Gazit from the Faculty of Dentistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The researchers used genetic engineering to express two proteins called BMP2 and Smad8 in mature stem cells, found in bone marrow tissue or fat. When the engineered stem cells were transplanted into an injured Achilles tendon of an experimental animal, it became clear that not only did the cells survive at the transplant site, but they also differentiated and led to the healing of the torn tendon within seven weeks. The transplanted cells changed their shape to that of mature tendon cells, and even increased the production of collagen, a protein needed to create healthy and elastic tendon tissue.
The healing process of the tendon was diagnosed using a unique DQF MRI imaging method developed in the laboratory of Prof. Gil Navon from Tel Aviv University. With this method it is possible to identify the level of arrangement of the collagen fibers in the tendon tissue and determine whether it is a healthy or damaged tendon. The researchers believe that since the BMP and Smad proteins are also found in other tissues of the body, such as nerves and liver, it will be possible in the future to use the same therapeutic approach to heal these tissues as well.
In an accompanying article published in the same issue, DeWitt A. Towler and Richard Gelberman of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, state that "Given the limited knowledge currently available about the transformation of adult stem cells into tendon cells, this study is noteworthy and its results may will be used in the future as a therapeutic approach to injuries in the skeletal system.''
The research is partially funded by the European Union as part of the GENOSTEM project, which intends to use engineered stem cells to cure diseases and injuries in the skeletal tissues.
