At the Orthopaedic Research Society Annual Meeting in February 2021, Ph.D. student Shuting HUANG, supervised by Prof Rocky TUAN and Prof. Dan WANG; and in collaboration with Prof. Elmer KER presented her findings on Investigating a tendon extracellular matrix-based, mechanically-robust scaffold for functional tendon repair. 

Repair of tendon injuries poses significant clinical challenges due to insufficient spontaneous regeneration and high mechanical demands, underscoring the importance of developing tissue engineering strategies for functional tendon repair. Huang’s research addresses this issue by developing a tendon ECM-based hybrid scaffold (tECM-HyS) by combining two distinguished technologies (urea extracted tendon ECM, i.e., tECM for elite tendon regeneration and an elastomer for robust mechanical support). Her study demonstrates that tECM-HyS exhibits robust tendon-like mechanical property ex vivo, tenogenic bioactivity in vitro, shoulder functional recovery in a rat massive rotator cuff tendon injury model, and over 1 cm tendon-like tissue regeneration with robust biomechanical strength in a rabbit massive rotator cuff tendon injury model. This tECM-HyS scaffold offers potential immediate translation potential for clinical use to repair large tendon defects.