< Back to previous page

Project

Understanding joint health: biomechanical and mechanobiological characterization of the bonecartilage interface (UNITE)

The joints in the human body are intricate structures in which the stiff mineralized bone tissue is attached to soft cartilage. Both tissues possess specific adaptive strategies to solve the biomechanical problem of
connecting tissues with widely varying properties. However, the load transfer mechanisms between cartilage
and bone are still poorly understood and the mechanical properties of the bone-cartilage interface are not wellknown.
Even less understood is the biological nature of the interface. What are the biological mechanisms that
maintain healthy joints? How do the cells embedded in the bone communicate? How are they affected by
aging? And how do they respond to abnormal joint loading? We hardly know. Yet, these are all extremely
relevant questions in understanding joint health and disease. Therefore, the goal of this project is to obtain a
fundamental understanding on the biomechanical and mechanobiological aspects of the bone-cartilage
interface. For that purpose, we will establish an experimental-computational framework to characterize how the
bone and cartilage on either side of the interface respond to loading. This framework will provide new insights
on the bone-cartilage interface and clarify load-induced modifications of this region. It will allow an important
leap of knowledge on the onset and progression of load-induced joint problems, and has potential for being
used to identifying new targets in drug development to fight bone-cartilage degeneration.

Date:1 Jan 2022 →  Today
Keywords:bonecartilage interface, biomechanics
Disciplines:Biomaterials, Biomechanics not elsewhere classified