National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases 5P50AR080581-04

Research Core

This NIH-funded project titled 'Research Core' focuses on understanding and improving treatment for Achilles tendinopathy by studying tendon cell mechano-responsiveness and mechanotransductive mechanisms. It involves patient and animal tissue studies and aims to translate findings into better clinical care.

Description

Achilles tendinopathy is a painful, debilitating, and chronic tendon condition. Patients typically receive physical therapy as the first line of conservative treatment, which involves mechanical loading as a therapeutic agent. Despite this, 60% of patients report persistent symptoms after 5 years, and 50% seek surgical intervention after conservative treatments fail. This project aims to establish the mechano-responsiveness of tendon cells throughout disease progression and elucidate mechanotransductive mechanisms to attenuate disease and improve healing. The project will provide patient and clinically relevant rat tendon samples, ranging from healthy to degenerated, and utilize longitudinal in vivo assays including gait analysis, loading monitoring, joint mechanics, ultrasound imaging, and metabolomics to maximize translational impact. Research aims include retrieving patient tissues to investigate end-stage Achilles tendinopathy mechano-sensitivity, using a preclinical model to investigate disease pathogenesis, and developing novel techniques to translate findings into improved patient care. The project emphasizes personalized rehabilitative care, addresses health inequities, aims to accelerate discovery from preclinical studies to clinical applications, and will develop new technologies and provide resources to tendon researchers nationally.

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