Stem cell approaches for tendon repair: delusion or insight

Tendon injuries are a common and significant health burden around the world. Current treatment strategies are unable to fully restore tendon structure and function. To address these critical clinical needs, stem cell therapy has recently emerged as a promising approach for better tendon repair. In this review, we discuss treatment efficacy of stem cell therapy in tendon repair by summarizing its advantages and disadvantages in both the preclinical and clinical settings. We highlight recent advances in improving stem cell-based treatment, with a focus on research efforts in identification of appropriate cell sources, cell modification for effective transplantation, development of appropriate cell carriers, and standardization of treatment protocols. Finally, we provide insights into future directions for stem cell therapy, with emphasis on the necessity of employing effective patient screening criteria before treatment and establishing comprehensive outcome measurements to ensure rigor and efficacy in clinical trials.