STTR Phase II: Stem Cell Delivery in Microscopic Hydrogel Droplets for Faster and More Complete Healing of Equine Tendon and Ligament Injuries

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The broader impact of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project involves continued development of technology to extend the therapeutic window of cell-based tissue regeneration therapies. This technology could significantly enhance the scientific understanding of cellular therapies and enable the healing of injuries more rapidly and less invasively than current techniques. A significant need for this technology has been identified in the competition horse market. A significant fraction (98%) of competitive horses suffers from soft tissue injuries and more than 80% of these horses develop a tendon or ligament injury. These injuries can take years to heal and are the leading cause of missed performances— drastically reducing quality of life for the animal and often necessitating euthanasia. This is a significant emotional and financial pain-point for horse owners and veterinarians. The technology being developed offers a solution by providing veterinarians a means of healing tendon and ligament injuries in a faster and more durable manner than currently possible, resulting in fewer missed performances, reduced need for animal euthanasia, and significantly reducing earning losses. Initial implementation of this technology in the equine market is expected to result in the subsequent commercialization of products to improve the healing of orthopedic injuries in humans. This project addresses the slow healing and frequent reinjury of superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) injuries in elite equine athletes. A significant fraction (98%) of veterinarians uses stem cell injections to aid in recovery of these injuries, however, this strategy has limited efficacy due to poor viability of injected cells and short cell retention times at the site of injury. This problem is addressed by this technology to preserve and localize mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) at an injury site through delivery in inert, injectable hydrogel microparticles. The research objectives are twofold: 1) examine early healing metrics in an equine model of SDFT injury treated with encapsulated MSCs compared to conventional unencapsulated MSCs, and 2) examine long term healing metrics using the same model. The goal of this research is to provide evidence of two key customer needs: faster tissue healing and more durable tissue regeneration of SDFT injuries. Functional, histological, genetic, and biomechanical metrics will be used to assess experimental outcomes and the results are anticipated to lead directly to a clinical trial in elite equine athletes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.