Developing Innovative Tendon Repair Solutions
Exploring natural cell signaling for tendon healing.
Our Mission
Our Mission
Our Mission
At the Tendon Research Foundation, we are dedicated to advancing medical research focused on improved tendon repair.
Our Vision
Our Mission
Our Mission
We can eradicate the "career ending injury" for workers and athletes alike through more rapid and complete recovery.
Tendon Injury Facts
Prevalence
Musculoskeletal injury impacts 50% of people 18 and older and 75% of people over 65. Tendon injuries (e.g. tennis elbow, golfers elbow, rotator cuff, Achilles, ACL/MCL tears) make up more than 30% of these injuries.
The Impact
Tendon injuries prevent people from working or exercising and are the most common cause for athletes taking extended breaks.
Rapid and complete recovery presents the biggest challenge to returning to pre-injury form — often ending careers (both in sports and physically demanding professional trades).
Interventions & Recovery
Surgical repairs offer the fastest remedy but the highest complication rate based on the “fibrovascular scar tissue” formed rather than natural/normal tendon.
Non-operative approaches (rest, PT, etc.) provide the repair with the least complications but significantly longer recovery times.
The Challenges
Torn and sprained tendons heal through the formation of disorganized collagen fibers resulting in less strength and high re-tear rates.
Current therapeutic strategies do not produce natural tendon growth and repair but varying degrees of disorganized scarring.
Quality of Life Costs
Strong joints and freedom of movement are critical to:
- successful employment in physically demanding professional trades
- remaining physically active to sustain overall health, especially in the elderly
- pursuing athletic goals in the amateur and professional arena
Economic Impact
Loss of strength, mobility, or repeated re-tears significantly impact:
- ability to return to physical professions and earn a living
- sporting performance and potential to transition into professional sports
- diminished contribution to professional team performance reducing personal and franchise income
The Foundation's Approach
Targeting Innovative, Underfunded Research
Targeting Innovative, Underfunded Research
Targeting Innovative, Underfunded Research
Owing to a long held belief that tendons were essentially a static tissue with tendon cells that were functionally inactive, many research programs have struggled to gain main-stream funding if their hypothesis contradicts establishment thinking.
The Tendon Research Foundation will evaluate and support bringing these innovative research programs forwards to pivotal Proof of Concept studies.
Our Expertise
Targeting Innovative, Underfunded Research
Targeting Innovative, Underfunded Research
Our team brings together critical expertise in research and development as well as non-profit management:
- > 40 years of experience in Pharmaceutical Development
- > 50 years of experience in cellular and biochemical tendon research
- > 30 years experience in in vivo Proof of Concept pharmacology models
- > 15 years experience in non-profit research and management
Our First Program
Targeting Innovative, Underfunded Research
Our First Program
The first program that the Foundation will support is the natural cell density signalling molecule SNZRpl that was first identified by Dr. R. Schwarz at Harvard and further developed at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories.