Dense connective tissue, which is found in structures such as tendons and ligaments, provides a fibrous framework that binds different parts of the body together. Its anatomy and molecular composition, especially the collagen and elastic fibres in its extracellular matrix, give this type of tissue remarkable mechanical properties. It plays a key role for the support and movement of the body and is thus vital for musculoskeletal health. Entheses, the sites where tendons, ligaments and other connective tissue such as fibrous joint capsules attach to bones, are particularly interesting from a mechanical point of view, as they are interfaces where soft and hard tissue meet. This connection between tissues with very different mechanical properties makes them potential sites of stress concentration and thus failure (Benjamin et al., 2006), but due to adaptations in their structure and molecular composition, healthy entheses are in fact highly resistant to rupture (Burgkart, 2026). Once injured, however, entheses are notoriously difficult to repair (Derwin et al., 2018). Professor Mike Benjamin (1948–2017) made important contributions to connective tissue and particularly enthesis research. Our current understanding of the anatomy and function of entheses has, to a large degree, been shaped by his seminal work that has spanned several decades (Moxham, 2018; Shaw, 2025). This special issue is therefore dedicated to him, to honour his lasting impact on connective tissue research. The basis for this special issue was provided by an Anatomical Society Symposium delivered at the 116th Annual Meeting of the Anatomische Gesellschaft at the Charité in Berlin in September 2022 entitled ‘Connective Tissue: Form, Function and Fabrication’. The overarching aims of this symposium were to celebrate Mike Benjamin's work, showcase recent advances in connective tissue research and strengthen the connections between two major European anatomical societies, the Anatomical Society and the Anatomische Gesellschaft. Our initial plan had been to prepare a special issue collating the papers presented at this symposium. However, as we aimed to honour Mike Benjamin's work, we felt that a collection of papers focusing on current enthesis research as well as other areas of connective tissue research, where he made important contributions, would be most appropriate. Following the symposium, we therefore invited further connective tissue researchers to contribute research papers in addition to those that had been presented at the symposium. The result is a selection of reviews and original research papers that cover different areas of connective tissue research including entheses, tendons, ligaments and fibrous joint capsules and a variety of approaches ranging from histology to mechanical testing and tissue culture models. The first paper by Shaw provides an overview of Mike Benjamin's major contributions to our current understanding of the anatomy and function of entheses including the concept of the ‘enthesis organ’ to describe the important role that tissues adjacent to the enthesis play in reducing stress concentrations. The following two papers are examples of recent advances in enthesis research using very different techniques. Tomlinson et al. conducted a biomechanical analysis of the human plantar aponeurosis enthesis to investigate if the presence of plantar spurs has an effect on the enthesial pull-out force and maximum strain of the central band of the plantar fascia. Mortimer et al. developed and validated a new 3D in vitro co-culture model of the human flexor digitorum profundus tendon enthesis by combining anatomical morphometrics with computer-aided designs. The review by Saunders et al. discusses the literature on collagen organisation in human finger joint capsules and its relevance for common surgical interventions. Their paper highlights the current paucity of published data on collagen fibre orientation in finger joint capsules and the need for research that applies recent technical advances to investigate these complex 3D fibre arrangements. This review is followed by two studies that both used dissections of human cadaveric specimens to collect morphometric data on ligaments and tendons. Mok et al. introduced a novel approach for measuring the dimensions of the lateral ligaments in the ankle. Witowski et al. investigated the anatomical relationships of leg muscles and their intramuscular tendons for the improvement of transtibial amputation surgery. The special issue is completed by three papers studying different aspects of tendons. Tsuchiya et al. examined the interplay between tendon and the adjacent muscle for tendon regeneration and development. Using 2D and 3D culture models, the authors investigated whether factors released from myoblasts enhance tenogenic progressions of tendon fibroblasts. In a study on tendons in horses, Yeung et al. explored if training has an impact on the synthesis of collagen and other matrix proteins and thereby alters the mechanical properties of tendon. Finally, Fleischmann et al. gained insights on calcaneal tendon degeneration resulting from type 2 diabetes mellitus. Using a rat model, they studied whether tenocytes from healthy and diabetic tendons respond differently to exercise or a proinflammatory mediator. The variety of topics and approaches of the papers outlined above shows that current connective tissue research is a vibrant field that benefits from advances in imaging, mechanobiology and culture models. Current developments in musculoskeletal research, including connective tissue research, have also been showcased by another recent symposium and special section on skeletal interfaces (Eckstein & Putz, 2026). Mike Benjamin's work has provided an important foundation for our understanding of the anatomy and functions of connective tissues, in particular entheses. We hope that this special issue raises awareness of his legacy, widens interest in this exciting area of research, and inspires new studies that will move this field forward. We are very grateful to the Anatomical Society and Anatomische Gesellschaft, in particular to Simon Parson and Matthias Ochs for their unwavering support of the symposium that provided the foundation for this special issue. We would also like to thank the Editors-in-Chief of the Journal of Anatomy for their approval of this project and the Managing Editor Edward Fenton for all his invaluable guidance, help and patience throughout the whole process. Finally, we express our gratitude to all contributing authors and the numerous reviewers of the manuscripts, without whom the completion of this special issue would not have been possible. Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed.
Gröning et al. (2026) studied this question.