Tendons

In tendon cells under shear stress, the induction of an influx of calcium by the mechanosensitive ion channel PIEZO1 upregulates collagen crosslinking, which increases tendon stiffness and potentially improves jumping performance.

Tissue engineers use mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and scaffolds for the regenerative treatment of injured or degenerated musculoskeletal tissues. As MSC interactions with state-of-the-art natural biological scaffolds are complex, the choice of a specific candidate for clinical applications based on interactions with MSCs in vitro, or even in vivo, is challenging.