A Novel microRNA-Based Strategy for the Repair of Injured Tendons
Abstract
Tendons are fibrous tissues that transmit muscle forces to bone and play a critical role in maintaining stability of the joint and driving body’s movement. In the military, tendon injuries are common among our Service Members who may have underlying tendon pathology characterized by pain, swelling, and loss of function resulting from repetition and accumulative damage. During combat, military troops must meet a high level of physical demand, which translates aggressive forces to the tendon and causes further injury and rupture. Tendon tears also occur in the battlefield from trauma, such has high-energy blast exposure. Tendon tears are painful and debilitative. For major tears, patients typically undergo surgery to repair the tendon, followed by a lengthy rest and rehabilitation period. Even so, the surgically repaired tendon may not heal completely and be predisposed to re-injury. This presents a serious challenge in the military, where Service Members are removed from duty for an extensive amount of time following tendon injury, thus increasing the overall burden and compromising the readiness of the military unit in the battlefield. This application addresses the FY2021 PRORP Focus Areas on Retention Strategies for the development of interventions that can facilitate return to duty for common combat-related musculoskeletal injuries. To meet the urgent need for an effective treatment for tendon injury, we have developed a novel drug candidate that has demonstrated early results of effectiveness in restoring the structure and function of injured tendons by specifically intervening excessive inflammation that detrimentally affects tendon healing. The current study will determine how well this candidate delivered by an injection to the tissue can improve the process of healing of severed tendons, which commonly occurs in the battlefield. The formulation of this drug candidate has been specifically designed to optimize drug stability and drug action. This establishes an important step in the drug development process toward advancing this potential drug as a drug product. Successful completion of the proposed studies will provide critical evidence to the Food and Drug Administration for approval of human clinical trials. We expect clinical demonstration the drug’s efficacy will bring a new paradigm of improving the outcomes of treating injuries of the tendon, which typically does not heal well. Market entry is currently planned in 2031. As a result of musculoskeletal injuries, active-duty Soldiers experience over 10 million limited duty days each year and account for 70% of the medically non-deployable population. Most musculoskeletal injuries reportedly occur to the lower extremities related to overuse. Studies show that Service Members are removed from duty for 6-8 months while recovering from tendon injury. Successful development of this novel drug candidate will provide an urgent treatment for military personnel, Veterans with tendon injuries, and patients in the general population. Being able to expedite their return to normal activities will translate to impactful social and economic benefits.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 28, 2022
- Source ID
- W81XWH2210412
Entities
People
- David Fung
Organizations
- United States Army