As a highly prevalent musculoskeletal disorders, the conventional cures for rotator cuff injuries often face challenges such as high postoperative recurrence rates and suboptimal functional recovery. To address the clinical bottleneck of achieving robust tendon-to-bone healing after rotator cuff tears, a research team led by Professor Mo Xiumei from the College of Biological Science and Medical Engineering at DHU, in collaboration with Associate Chief Physician Ji Yunhan’s orthopedic team from Department of Orthopedics at Shanghai Tongren Hospital, has pioneered an interdisciplinary approach. Through this medical-engineering crossover project, they successfully developed the first functionally graded scaffold that mimics the multilayered structural characteristics of the native tendon-bone interface, achieving more physiologically relevant repair outcomes.
This innovation integrates structural biomimicry, precise anti-inflammatory modulation, biomineralization, and superior mechanical properties, offering a groundbreaking solution for repairing tendon-bone interface injuries, including rotator cuff tears.
The research findings, titled Functionally graded scaffold with M2 macrophage-derived LncRNA-Encoded peptide: Mechanistic and therapeutic evaluation for rotator cuff repair, were published online in the international materials science journal Bioactive Materials. The corresponding authors of the paper are Professor Mo Xiumei and Associate Chief Physician Ji Yunhan, with co-first authors including Feng Hao, a graduate student from College of Biological Science and Medical Engineering at DHU, and Zhang Gonghao and Xiong Li, attending physicians from Shanghai Tongren Hospital.
(Systematic illustration of the preparation and implantation of the MDP1 & HA-loaded scaffold)
This research was supported by multiple scientific funding sources, including the Medical-Engineering Interdisciplinary Collaborative Project between Shanghai Tongren Hospital and Donghua University and the cooperative project of Sino-German Center for Research Promotion. In the future, this functionally graded scaffold is expected to be applied in various tendon-to-bone interface repair procedures, such as rotator cuff tear reconstruction, Achilles tendon enthesis injury repair, and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, facilitating more robust and physiologically favorable healing outcomes for patients. Further studies involving larger animal models and preclinical research are planned to refine scaffold fabrication techniques and expand clinical indications, ultimately accelerating the translational application of this innovative technology to benefit a broader population of sports medicine and orthopedic patients.
Read the full paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioactmat.2025.06.032
