Abstract
Tendon and ligament tissues are fascinating in their simplistic appearance of tissue architecture coupled with outstanding biomechanical properties. In the last decade, the mechanisms governing their development, degenerative disease progression and step-wise repair process are becoming better understood. In this talk, I will present an overview of our basic research work on these following points. (i) Tendon generation: I will discuss our finding on the role of growth and biomechanical factors influencing tendon stem/progenitor cells; (ii) Tendon degeneration: I will provide evidences how disturbed cell-cell and cell-matrix contacts are involved in loss of tissue integrity; (iii) Tendon regeneration: I will present in vivo data on the application and performance of various cell populations in tendon repair.
