Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health researchers are conducting an FDA-approved clinical trial, investigating whether fat-derived stem cells can be used to treat shoulder injuries.
Here's what you need to know:
1. The study's principal investigators are Jason Hurd, MD, and Mark Lundeen, MD, both of whom are orthopedic surgeons.
2. The trial, which opened in December 2016, studies whether adipose stem cells from a participant's abdominal fat can repair small and partial thickness tears in the rotator cuff.
3. Kelby Krabbenhoft, president and CEO of Sanford Health, said adipose stem cell therapy for damaged tissues is already CE mark approved in Europe.
"As we work with the FDA, our goal is to develop and refine a therapy that might one day be regulated and commonly practiced in the United States because of the evidence we gather as part of this trial," said David Pearce, PhD, executive vice president of Sanford Research.