Sarah DiIorio

Tendon injury arising from trauma, overuse or age-related degeneration accounts for more than 30% of all musculoskeletal injuries. Tendons do not regenerate well after injury and often form scars, called fibrosis, which can cause pain and impair range of motion for patients. My research seeks to identify the specific cell populations which are responsible for tendon fibrosis and define potential targets to prevent these cells from acting. I plan to combine this biological insight with a tissue-adhesive biomaterial which can transfer force to the healing tendon and prevent mechanically active cells from forming fibrosis. Together, these findings would help develop novel tools to treat tendon injury and improve regeneration.