Success in repairing damaged muscles with silk and stem cells

By putting stem cells on a piece of real silk, scientists have created a graft-like tissue that can specifically repair parts of the affected muscle that are lined by a thin membranous layer.

The flexible membranes that attach the meat to the bones are called tendons, which can be very painful and difficult to heal when damaged. But this revolutionary graft can heal them again.

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Scientists at the Tirasaki Institute in Los Angeles have demonstrated that using stem cells on a graft made of silk fabric can regenerate tendon cells and lining. Athletes and the elderly often suffer tendon injuries that can take months to heal. If not treated properly, they can affect other muscles as well.

The new technology first took a piece made of silk and applied the famous hydrogel (Gel Ma) to make it strong, flexible, and acceptable to the body. Then mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), a type of stem cell, were injected into it.

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Then they were tested on the heel (acli) of mice. Here, their magic spoke loudly and the healing process of the injury was accelerated. While new cells also started to form. There came a time when the silk threads also became part of it while the hydrogel did its job and dissolved by itself.