Development of a new animal model to investigate the influence of the magnitude, frequency and duration of mechanical loading on the fracture healing outcome as a basis for the enhancement of numerical fracture healing simulations according to these load

骨折愈合过程受生物力学和生物学因素的影响。最重要的生物力学因素是碎片间运动（IFM）。先前的动物实验不允许研究机械载荷对骨折愈合结果的影响，包括强度、频率和持续时间。应该在布里斯班昆士兰科技大学健康与生物医学创新研究所开发一种新的动物模型，这种模型可以很好地控制上述载荷特性的机械载荷。因此，在羊胫骨处使用主动固定架和双截骨术，将IFM从肌肉骨骼负荷中分离出来应该是可能的。在过去的几年里，乌尔姆大学骨科研究和生物力学研究所开发了一个模拟骨折愈合过程的数值模型，可以分析IFM对骨折愈合结果的影响。由于缺乏适当的体内数据，不可能增强这个数值模型来研究机械载荷对频率、持续时间和载荷循环次数的影响。这项奖学金的目的是与布里斯班合作开发新的动物模型，它既适合于机械载荷对骨折愈合结果影响的体内研究，也适合于增强我们的数值骨折愈合模型。因此，应该利用布里斯班的实验可能性以及乌尔姆的数字技术。增强我们的数值骨折愈合模型的特点是，新动物模型的开发可以直接影响现场，并且可以详细分析从手术到动物牺牲的所有边界条件。这是正确模拟体内实验的必要条件。

The fracture healing process is influenced by biomechanical and biological factors. The most important biomechanical factor is the interfragmentary movement (IFM). Previous animal experiments did not allow to investigate the influence of mechanical loading on the fracture healing outcome with regard to magnitude, frequency and duration. A new animal model should be developed at the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, which allows well controlled mechanical loading with regard to the load characteristics mentioned above. Thereby, it should be possible to apply the IFM isolated from the musculoskeletal loads with the use of an active fixator and a double osteotomy at the sheep tibia. In the last years, a numerical model for the simulation of the fracture healing process was developed at the Institute of Orthopaedic Research and Biomechanics, Ulm University, which allows analyzing the influence of the IFM on the fracture healing outcome. Due to the lack of appropriate in vivo data, it was not possible to enhance this numerical model to investigate the influence of mechanical loading with regard to the frequency, duration and the number of load cycles.The aim of this scholarship is the development of the new animal model in cooperation with Brisbane, which is both, optimally suitable for in vivo investigations on the influence of mechanical loading on the fracture healing outcome AND optimally suitable for the enhancement of our numerical fracture healing model. Therefore, the experimental possibilities in Brisbane as well as the numerical know-how from Ulm should be used. The special feature for the enhancement of our numerical fracture healing model is that the development of the new animal model can directly be influenced on-site and that all boundary conditions, ranging from surgery to sacrifice of the animals, could be analyzed in detail. This is mandatory to simulate the in vivo experiments correctly.