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Project

Optimization of treatment methods for cartilage regeneration in the tibial joint: understanding the role of local cartilage loading.

The ability to regenerate native joint cartilage is an important clinical challenge. Despite recent advances in cartilage repair procedures and the availability of autologous chondrocyte implantations (ACI), the challenge remains to generate repair tissue with characteristics comparable to the surrounding tissue that integrates well with the cartilage and subchondral bone(CSB) tissue. Aversive mechanical stimuli are suggested to be primary factors contributing to repair failure. This project will relate cartilage repair outcome to tibio-femoral (TF) joint and resulting CSBloading in patients treated with ACI for local cartilage defects in an otherwise healthy joint. We hypothesize that suboptimal outcome relates to aversive mechanical stimuli present in the CSB-unit during functional activities, with excessive shear stresses at the lesion site inducing less optimal repair tissue response. The following research objectives will be addressed 1. Perform a 2 year follow-up in a cohort of subjects treated with ACI techniques in the TFjoint. 2. Define a computational platform to generate cartilage loading maps during functional activities. 3. Relate calculated CSB-loading to cartilage repair outcome documented using clinical scales and medical imaging. This multidisciplinary project will enhance fundamental insight into cartilage repair in a whole joint complex through an innovative combination of state of the art medical imaging technique, 3D motion capture and multi-scale biomechanical modeling, validated in a longitudinal follow-up study of a clinical cohort. Using the developed computational platform and scientific insights, rehabilitation exercises can then be optimized so that a therapeutic dosage of CSB-loading is induced.
Date:1 Oct 2013 →  30 Sep 2018
Keywords:biomechanics, cartilage, musculoskeletal modeling, multi-scale modeling, 3D motion capture, dynamic motion simulation, FE modeling, Medical imaging
Disciplines:Laboratory medicine, Palliative care and end-of-life care, Regenerative medicine, Other basic sciences, Other health sciences, Nursing, Other paramedical sciences, Other translational sciences, Other medical and health sciences