SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - A Sioux Falls medical facility will begin a first-of-its kind clinical trial to treat rotator cuff tears using stem cells.
Patients have already started to be screened for the trial, in which Sanford Health will treat 12 people using stem cells and measure improvement compared to six other people receiving a cortisone shot.
Pioneered by Dr. Eckhard Alt in a Sanford portal clinic in Germany, stem cells are extracted from a patient's abdominal fat and injected around the area being treated. The hope is that the stem cells will boost regeneration of surrounding tissue and cartilage.
Sanford leaders say the trial is the first to use stem cells from abdominal fat, and is designed to prove the safety of the procedure. The facility chose to start with treating rotator cuffs because they are a common injury.