Project Grant R01AR087364

The National Institutes of Health National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases awarded the University of Rochester $493,971 on September 1, 2026, under the Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.846) to define the epitenon cell–gamma delta T cell axis in fibrotic tendon healing.

The project addresses peritendinous adhesions that form between healing tendons and surrounding tissues, the leading cause of impaired recovery following tendon injury and surgical repair. Current therapeutic approaches fail to prevent or reverse adhesion formation due to incomplete understanding of the cellular and molecular drivers involved. The recipient's prior work identified epitenon-derived GLAST-lineage cells as key contributors to adhesion formation and demonstrated that ablation of this population markedly improves functional recovery. Preliminary data identify gamma delta T cells as the dominant T cell subset in healing tendon and the exclusive producers of interleukin-17A, a cytokine known to promote fibrosis. Epitenon cells specifically express the IL-17A receptor, suggesting direct communication between immune and stromal populations. The project will define the spatiotemporal dynamics of gamma delta T cells and their interactions with epitenon cells (Aim 1), determine how IL-17A signaling promotes fibrotic behavior of epitenon cells (Aim 2), and evaluate whether targeting the gamma delta T cell–IL-17A axis represents a therapeutic intervention.

Work is performed in Rochester, New York. The award runs through August 31, 2031.