This project aims to cause microscopic cracks in human femur bone by squishing them (but not breaking them), and then run a long test that simulates walking on the bone for the equivalent of years to see how the cracks grow and multiply. When microscopic cracks grow to a critical size (or many cracks coalesce to form a critical size crack) then the bone catastrophically fractures, a thing to be avoided if possible. This may happen over a long period of time, and may explain "atraumatic" or "spontaneous" fractures that occur without any apparent violence. (e.g., you're waiting for the bus, and your leg collapses. These things happen.)
The reason we went to a transplant foundation is that normal bone heals microscopic damage, and it may even be that healthy bone depends on a certain amount of damage to function. However, if bone heals itself, then it should never spontaneously fail, or fail during long periods of use. Transplanted bone, like for bone cancer patients, does not become fully integrated with the host, and remains dead like a piece of wood. Thus, it should accumulate damage over time and eventually explode. Transplant companies probably want to know how often this happens, and how to avoid it. I mainly think this is an awesome application of engineering that is typically applied to bridges or jet aircraft.
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3 comments:
Congratulations on your grant! I am helping Dr. Matthew Jimenez start up a new non-profit corporation (Foundation for Education and Musculoskeletal Research) with the goal of reducing the incidence and co-morbidity of fragility fractures through community-based fall prevention programs in the Chicago area, and enhancing physician awareness of osteoporosis risk factors and available treatments.
I look forward to reading the results of your study.
Please send me and/or post a link to information on your foundation. I would like to be involved however I can.
Congratulations Jevan! And someone other than me read your blog! Yay!
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