# Biomaterials to enhance the efficacy of MSCs for rotator cuff repair

> **NIH NIH R01** · GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · 2023 · $389,827

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Rotator cuff tears are present in approximately 20% of the population and result in mechanical
unloading of the rotator cuff muscle. As a result, the muscle undergoes atrophy, which negatively impacts
clinical outcomes of surgical repair. Recent work has shown reduction in rotator cuff muscle
degeneration after transplantation of mesenchymal-derived stem cells (MSCs). However, MSC-based
therapies for musculoskeletal diseases have been plagued by sub-optimal efficacy, due, in part, to lack of
effective methods to 1) reach therapeutically relevant numbers of highly potent cells, and 2) retain cells
at the site of injury once transplanted. Therefore, we hypothesize that that culture and injection of MSCs
on microparticle carriers designed to promote therapeutic potency (reduced senescence and a pro-
regenerative secretome) will result in greater cellular retention in the damaged muscle, and improved
supraspinatus muscle regeneration after tendon reattachment.
 The objective of this application is to determine 1) the relationship between biomaterial carrier
properties, cell metabolism, and therapeutic fitness of seeded MSCs, and 2) how transplanting cells with
high fitness on materials to improve local retention ultimately affects the level of regeneration of rotator
cuff muscle after surgical repair of the torn tendon. This objective will be approached through the
following specific aims: 1) Evaluate the effects of altering the biochemical composition of the biomaterial
carrier on metabolism and replicative senescence of human MSCs during expansion, 2) Evaluate effects
of altering the biochemical composition of the biomaterial carrier on secretion of pro-regenerative factors
by human MSCs, and 3) Evaluate the effects of transplantation of MSCs after culture on carriers
determined from Aims 1&2 on regeneration in the rat supraspinatus muscle after tendon reattachment.
 The proposed work is innovative because it focuses on design of material substrates to engineer the
secretome of transplanted cells in order to promote tissue healing after rotator cuff tear, as well as
provides an important early metabolomics-based screening technique for the effects of substrate
properties on cellular therapeutic fitness. Results from these studies are expected to have an important
positive impact because they will lead to more efficacious regenerative medicine therapies for rotator cuff
tears, and may further lead to more effective cell-based therapies for a wide variety of diseases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10618264
- **Project number:** 5R01AR077357-03
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** Johnna S Temenoff
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $389,827
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-07-01 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10618264

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10618264, Biomaterials to enhance the efficacy of MSCs for rotator cuff repair (5R01AR077357-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10618264. Licensed CC0.

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