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HSS awarded grant to study efficacy of stem cell therapy for rotator cuff tears
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Hospital for Special Surgery has been awarded a $800,000 Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation Clinical Research Grant in cellular therapy to fund a clinical trial to determine whether stem cell therapy can improve outcomes in patients with rotator cuff tears.
According to a press release from Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation gave the award in collaboration with the National Stem Cell Foundation. The grant will allow research to move to a phase II clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of stromal vascular fraction cells (SVFCs) in patients who undergo arthroscopic surgical repair for rotator cuff tears.
More than 50 patients will be enrolled in the study. HSS will follow patients for 2 years to evaluate strength, range of motion, muscle and tendon regeneration imaging assessments and patient-reported outcomes. Primary outcome of the study will be shoulder strength.
“This study may be the first to determine if stem cells from a patient’s own adipose tissue can improve outcomes after rotator cuff repair,” Christopher Mendias, MD, co-principal investigator and associate scientist at HSS, said in the release. “We believe that the patients who receive SVFCs may see improved function and demonstrate improved tissue healing on both clinical imaging and tissue histological studies.”
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