Results of a new study suggest stem cell therapy might prove to be a valuable tool for treating tendon injuries, which are common in all types of performance horses and can be challenging to treat. Researchers from Cornell University’s Comparative Orthopaedics Laboratory reported that injecting stem cells derived from an injured horse’s own fat (adipose) deposits into the affected tendon improved tendon organization.

"Tendon injuries are an important cause of lost training days and can be career-ending events with a high rate of recurrence," explained Alan J. Nixon, BVSc, MS, Dipl. ACVS. "Novel means of treating tendons are essential."

Stem cell research has shown that adult stem cells can be safely and easily harvested from fat deposits in a horse and used to treat a variety of musculoskeletal diseases. These cells are capable of becoming bone, muscle, cartilage, or tendon cells. Once introduced to the injury site, adipose-derived stem cells can help heal the affected tissues.

In this study Nixon and colleagues induced tendonitis in the superficial digital flexor tendons of eight horses. They treated four horses with adipose-derived stem cells by injecting the cells directly into the tendon lesions, and they injected the remaining four horses with a saline placebo