Dr. Ashley Titan Awarded AFSH Grant to Advance Tendon-to-Bone Healing Research

Resident Dr. Ashley Titan and her team have been awarded the 2024 American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand (AFSH) Resident and Fellow Fast Track Grant for their project, "Investigating the Role of TGF-β in Tendon Bone Interface Healing."

“Tendon-to-bone injuries are known for their poor healing capacity, increasing the risk of re-injury,” says Dr. Titan. The research team previously discovered that mouse skeletal stem cells (mSSCs) play a role in tendon healing, but their activity is diminished when TGF-β is inhibited. “This study aims to uncover how TGF-β modulates mSSCs and affects enthesis healing,” she explains. 

The study aims to advance understanding of tendon-to-bone interface regeneration following injury. Researchers hope to identify key biological targets that could enhance surgical repair for complete tears or provide a non-surgical treatment alternative for partial tears.

The grant funding will support RNA sequencing analysis to further investigate these mechanisms.

Dr. Titan leads the project alongside MD-PhD student Sarah Dilorio, MD student Bill Young, Dr. Natalina Quarto, and Drs. Paige Fox, Dr. Michael Longaker.