Technology company BioSmartData and the European research network TENET have established a scientific collaboration framework to study how patients respond to tendon injury treatments in everyday clinical practice.
Tendon injuries, known as tendinopathies, are very common. They affect athletes as well as people who perform repetitive movements at work or in daily life, and they can cause pain for months. To improve their treatment, BioSmartData (BSD) and TENET have established a scientific collaboration that brings together researchers, doctors and companies from different countries.
What is TENET?
TENET (TEndon Regeneration NETwork) is a European research network funded by COST, the European Cooperation in Science and Technology programme. It brings together researchers, doctors, biotechnology companies and regulatory experts with a common goal: to take advances in tendon regeneration from the lab to the clinic.
Technology serving research
BioSmartData contributes a platform for the structured capture of clinical practice data (Real-World Data, RWD) designed to generate Real-World Evidence (RWE). Data collection is based on standardised variables and harmonised case report forms, with longitudinal patient follow-up and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).
Data are managed under quality and traceability criteria from the source and analysed using advanced analytics and artificial intelligence. This approach makes it possible to assess treatment effectiveness under real-world conditions and complements the evidence from randomised clinical trials.
What does this collaboration bring to the scientific community?
This scientific collaboration framework provides for cooperation between both networks: the participation of researchers and centres in working groups and multicentre observational studies, as well as the identification of joint research lines.
Harmonising variables and procedures across centres improves the comparability of results, increases the available sample size and strengthens the external validity of the evidence generated, particularly in tendinopathies and biological treatments such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP). It also covers the mutual dissemination of projects, publications and calls, and the development of scientific, technological and training initiatives aimed at knowledge transfer.
An international study on tendon injuries
This collaboration builds on a project BioSmartData already has underway: the international real-world evidence study on the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in tendinopathies.
The study analyses how patients treated with PRP progress in four of the most common injuries:
- Patellar tendon, in the knee.
- Lateral epicondyle, known as “tennis elbow”.
- Achilles tendon, in the heel.
- Plantar fascia, in the sole of the foot.
It also includes two specific groups of athletes: football players with patellar tendon injuries and tennis and padel players with elbow injuries.
The principal investigator is Dr Ferran Abat. The study has been approved by an ethics committee (CER-FCSB No. 2025-12-06) and is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, the international database of clinical studies.
Thanks to this collaboration with TENET, projects like this can be shared across the European network, and more professionals and centres will be able to join them. Anyone who wants to find out more can watch the study presentation in this on-demand webinar (in Spanish).
Open to professionals across Europe
Joining TENET is free and open to researchers, doctors, physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals, as well as companies in the sector. Anyone who wants to join can find all the information at cost-tenet.eu.
