Helping overused tendons heal instead of getting worse
Official title: Promoting a reparative instead of a degenerative outcome from loading of fatigue-damaged tendons
Funded at Cornell University · NIH-11178718 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to find ways to make tendons damaged by repeated use recover and stay strong rather than continue to break down for people with tendon overuse injuries.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cornell University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ithaca, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $555,705 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AR084173-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11178718 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with tendon overuse injuries or early-stage tendinopathy (for example patellar or Achilles tendon fatigue damage) would be most relevant to the goals of this research.
✕Less likely to help
People with complete tendon ruptures that require surgical repair or those with unrelated musculoskeletal conditions are unlikely to benefit directly from this preclinical work.
What this research studies
Researchers use a rat model that mimics tendon damage from repeated overuse to learn what makes tendons heal or degenerate. They found that the timing of exercise matters—running begun two weeks after injury helped repair the tendon, while immediate exercise made damage worse. The team is studying matrix sugars (like hyaluronan and dermatan sulfate) and cell types (αSMA+ and integrin α5+ cells) that seem to protect tendon cells and promote repair. Their goal is to turn everyday activity or targeted treatments into signals that encourage healing instead of further breakdown.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new ways (timed activity or biologic treatments) to help overused tendons heal and reduce chronic pain and loss of function.
How similar studies have gone: Previous animal work from this team showed that delayed exercise promoted repair while immediate exercise worsened outcomes, so this grant builds on promising preclinical findings but translation to humans remains new.
Where this research is happening
-
Cornell University
Ithaca, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Andarawis-Puri, Nelly — Cornell University
- Study coordinator: Andarawis-Puri, Nelly
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.