Uniaxial biomechanical tissue testing system to quantify loads in the intervertebral disc

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The spine is a complex composite structure intricately comprised of various biological tissues. Specific tissues include tendons, ligaments, bone, and the uniquely designed intervertebral disc (IVD). These tissues, along with muscles and nerves, must work together to provide both flexibility and support in the spine. This grant requests funds to purchase a specialized material testing system that will allow for the quantification of the mechanical properties of these spinal tissues, and in particular the IVD. Specifically, the configuration of this testing system allows for the measurement of soft, flexible strip-like tissue samples. The tissues of the IVD are the ideal shape and composition for mechanical testing using the system requested in this grant. Further, the system comes equipped with different tissue mounting clamps to increase its versatility for testing other soft biological tissues such as muscle, ligaments, tendons, and skin.