Modelling Framework for In-Vivo Knee Joint Contact Analysis

英国有875万人因骨关节炎(OA)寻求治疗，这种疾病每年花费英国经济100亿GB(与关节炎相比)。目前的治疗方法只缓解症状或可能延缓病情进展。为了量化未来疗法的疗效，对正常和病理的体内膝关节功能(运动和负载)进行准确的评估是必不可少的。传统上，膝关节负载的计算建模依赖于基于标记的运动捕获作为输入数据，由于与皮肤上的标记相关的软组织错误，导致接触动力学中的不准确。作为对这一限制的创新回应，加的夫开发的动态双平面X射线成像(DBX)可以捕捉志愿者在活动过程中膝关节的实时运动图像。这一独特的跨学科项目将把现有的成像、实验和计算技术整合到一个新的多尺度建模框架中，目的是：-提供一个特定于对象的膝关节模型框架，以考虑运动、负载、解剖学和肌肉活动-使用DBX和MRI数据校准考虑控制和骨关节炎软骨特性的膝关节软骨模型-使用健康和骨关节炎志愿者的体内数据验证多尺度模型基于学生期间开发的稳健建模框架，然后可以探索旨在使膝关节机械环境正常化的早期手术和非手术治疗方法。

8.75M people in the UK have sought treatment for osteoarthritis (OA) and the condition costs the UK economy £10B/year (Versus Arthritis). Current treatments only alleviate the symptoms or potentially delay progression. To quantify the efficacy of future therapeutics, accurate evaluation of normal and pathological in-vivo knee joint function (movement and loading) are essential.Traditionally, computational modelling of knee loading relies on marker-based motion capture as input data, creating inaccuracies in the contact dynamics due to soft tissue errors associated with markers attached to the skin. As an innovative response to this limitation, Dynamic Biplane X-Ray imaging (DBX), developed at Cardiff, captures real-time moving images of a volunteer's knee joint during activity. For this studentship, DBX, in combination with high fidelity Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) will provide highly-accurate, subject-specific input data to develop more realistic dynamic musculoskeletal and contact models with associated estimates of tissue loading in healthy and osteoarthritic knees.This unique interdisciplinary project will integrate existing imaging, experimental and computational technologies into a novel multi-scale modelling framework with the aim to: - Provide a subject-specific knee modelling framework accounting for movement, loading, anatomy and muscle activity - Calibrate a knee cartilage model accounting for control and OA cartilage properties using DBX and MRI data - Validate the multi-scale model using in-vivo data for healthy and OA volunteersBased on the robust modelling framework developed during the studentship, early surgical and non-surgical therapeutics aiming to normalise the knee's mechanical environment can then be explored.