Stem Cells and Sports Injuries

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One of the most commonly suffered sports injury occurs to the Achilles' tendon. This is a tendon that runs from the lower part of the calf to the heel and provides structure and support for movement of the foot. Ruptured Achilles' tendons have sidelined more sports professionals than most other types of injuries that result from contact sports such as football or soccer, as well as sports that involve running, jumping, and sometimes even swimming. A research team at Scotland's Dundee University feels that they have created an artificial tendon that could be transplanted to replace ruptured Achilles' tendon
Dr Robert Keatch, who heads the Division of Mechanical Engineering, announced that he used a special machine and human stem cells to develop and grow an Achilles' tendon, which is considered the strongest and thickest in the human body. While most researchers and scientists are developing stem cells into muscle tissue, Dr Keatch was able to determine how to encourage the stem cells to grow into the type of tissue he sought.

"We took normal stem cells that form muscle type material... we applied mechanical stimulus and electrical stimulus together." Dr Keatch used a combination of movement, forests, and pressure as they grew, which mimics their growth state in the human body.

Dr Keatch will spend quite some time studying exactly how much pressure and force is going to be necessary to grow a tendon that is strong enough to be transplanted into the human body.

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