# Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles for Enhanced Tendon Healing

> **NIH NIH R21** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $173,250

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Tendon and ligament injuries account for nearly half of all musculoskeletal injuries each year in the United
States. Even with considerable improvements, surgical repairs do not consistently restore physical function of
injured tissues. As a result, there are lengthy delays or failures to return to pre-injury activities, thus posing a
substantial clinical, economic and social burden. Poor surgical outcomes primarily result from excessive
inflammation and insufficient regeneration of repaired tissues. Therefore, the long-term goal of this study is to
develop biologic therapies to enhance tendon repair. With recent advances in regenerative medicine and
extracellular vesicle (EV) research, the proposed project has been designed to investigate the mechanistic role
and clinically relevant application of stem cell EVs in tendon repair. EVs are membrane-enclosed nanoparticles
that mediate intercellular communication by transferring bioactive molecules (proteins, RNAs, etc.) from cell to
cell. Although EVs from adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) have been found to modulate tissue inflammatory
response and to promote regeneration of some soft tissues, their role in tendon repairs has not been directly
explored. Aim 1 will use co-culture models to determine the role and underlying molecular mechanism of ASC
EVs in regulating macrophage inflammatory response and tenocyte activity and function in the context of
tendon injury and repair. Aim 2 will use a clinically relevant mouse Achilles tendon injury and repair model to
determine the therapeutic efficacy of ASC EVs in reducing inflammation, increasing tendon matrix regeneration
and restoring structure and strength of injured tendons. Results from Aim 1 will reveal new insights into the
mechanism of ASC EVs in regulating tendon healing process and provide guidance for further engineering of
defined components within ASC EVs to provide improved therapeutic efficacy and safety. Positive outcomes
from Aim 2 will prove the concept of ASC EV-based therapy for tendon injury as well as other related disorders
and lead to clinical studies, thus contributing to the improvement of musculoskeletal health.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10017657
- **Project number:** 5R21AR075274-02
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Hua Shen
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $173,250
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-15 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10017657

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10017657, Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles for Enhanced Tendon Healing (5R21AR075274-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10017657. Licensed CC0.

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