We were formed to continue the work of Dr Richard Schwarz

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For 50 years, Dr. Richard (Rick) Schwarz tirelessly studied how tendons and ligaments grow and strengthen, to understand how we might heal them without the use of surgery, and with better results. With years of dedication, long nights, and an uphill battle against the current scientific trends, Rick never gave up on what his research, experiments, and instincts told him about how tendons and ligaments could heal and restore natural structure and function.

In the 2018, Rick launched his own company (SNZR LLC) and he was working with researchers at UC Davis to submit a revised Small Business grant proposal to fund pivotal demonstration of effectiveness in animal models.

With the passing of Rick on May 5, 2025, his family is committed to seeing his dedication lead to the groundbreaking medicine he imagined.

Led by his son-in-law, a PhD scientist and Board Certified Toxicologist  with 25 years of experience in biotechnology and pharmaceutical product development, the Tendon Research Foundation is a non-profit research organization created to help support the continuation of Rick's seminal research. 

The Foundation will continue his innovative work that demonstrated that the adult tendon cell is, in fact, an alive and active cell that can produce new collagen and repair damaged tendons - building a strong data set in the face of decades of historical assumption that the adult tendon cell was a dormant and non-functional fibroblast.  Working in partnership with SNZR LLC the Foundation will provide donation-driven research funding to complement private sector investment into the development of SNZRpl,  bringing the technology forward through proof-of-concept studies and into human clinical trials.

Donations to the Foundation will be used to fund critical biomedical research and development work as well as support the necessary operational elements of the Foundation to ensure continued financial support for this vital research.

Rick's vision was that tendon rupture could be repaired more completely, more naturally, and with far fewer re-injuries than the current standard of care (all of which overlook the tendon cell itself) and the Foundation continues in the belief that there should be no "career ending injuries" due to tendon rupture - whether that be the career of a professional athlete or a skilled worker in a physically demanding profession.

With your help, we can honor Dr. Richard Schwarz and create the healthier world he wished to see.