Understanding the disease

Understanding the disease requires an understanding of the components of tendon tissue. Historically, tendons were believed to not contain any cells, but rather a type of ‘inert’ tissue. It has since been proven otherwise that various cell types are contained within tendinous tissue, such as tenocytes (tendon-derived cell) and stem cells, which have only been discovered in recent years.

Researchers are still looking into different markers and genetic tracing to better understand the steps in cell maturity.

Developing new drugs

Currently drugs used in the management of tendinopathies are mostly for pain. There are currently no drugs that are able to directly stimulate regeneration of tendon tissue.

Replacing lost cells

Studies have been conducted on horses to assess the safety and effectiveness of stem cells in healing tendinopathy. These have been shown to be effective in reducing reinjury rate and persistent tendinopathy. This however does not translate to clinical evidence for humans, which so far does not support long term safety and effectiveness of using stem cell therapy for tendon injury.

Tendon injuries vary, and it is unlikely a single treatment will be effective for all tendon injuries. Several factors must be considered such as which tendons are injured, where on the tendon the injury has occurred (in the middle or ends of the tendon), and whether other surrounding structures are also injured, such as muscle, bone and cartilage.

This is further complicated when a portion of the tendon tissue is lost, effectively losing the ‘scaffolding’ required for potential regeneration. Regeneration of new tendon is not currently a feasible, and a more complicated tissue engineering approach is likely to be required to effectively ‘replace’ and ‘adhere’ new tendon-like tissue.

There are a number of sites that list clinical trials, including the clinicaltrials.gov registry. Please note that the scientific justification for the intervention and the credentials of those offering the service may have NOT been fully evaluated by this registry. Your findings may include listings that are NOT legitimate clinical trials. Please consult with your medical specialist or general practitioner as they are best placed to advise you on whether you would be a good candidate for a trial given your circumstances. 

Please note: Although some clinics may claim to already offer stem cell treatments for male and female fertility, there are serious questions about the scientific rationale and the safety of many of these approaches. Currently, there are no proven, safe and effective stem cell treatments for this condition available in Australia, the EU, US or elsewhere.