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DailyTech – Students Embed Stem Cells Into Sutures for Tendon Repair.

Biomedical engineering students from Johns Hopkins have demonstrated a way to use stem cells from a patient to help repair serious orthopedic injuries such as ruptured tendons. The students demonstrated a method of embedding the patient’s own stem cells into a surgical thread that the surgeon uses to repair torn tendons.

The new process doesn’t change or impact the way that surgeons repair the injury. Currently the new process is undergoing animal trials and will hopefully make it to human trials in about five years. The new process has great promise for speeding healing from serious injuries.

Matt Rubashkin, the student team leader said, “Using sutures that carry stems cells to the injury site would not change the way surgeons repair the injury. But we believe the stem cells will significantly speed up and improve the healing process. And because the stem cells will come from the patient, there should be no rejection problems.”