A Continuum Model for Cartilage Growth Biomechanics

描述（由申请人提供）：关节软骨的内在愈合能力较差，这可能与AC的细胞结构、代谢活性和无血管性相对较低有关。目前治疗软骨缺损的临床修复策略包括组织移植和组织工程，但关于最佳治疗策略仍存在相当大的争议。这里提出的研究的长期目标是开发新的生物工程分析，可以与实验方法一起使用，以改善软骨修复策略。本提案的目的是检验采用胶原网络固定电荷密度应力平衡的软骨生长混合物模型可以预测与软骨修复相关的体外生长方案期间生物力学性质的演变的假设。具体而言，第一个目的是测试应变依赖性生物力学特性的演变是否与关节软骨组织的几种体外生长方案的生化参数有关。第二个目的是测试具有胶原网络-固定电荷密度应力平衡的软骨生长混合物模型是否可以使用关节软骨组织的几种体外生长方案的生物力学性质的实验测量来验证。拟议研究的重要次要目标是加强我们在圣路易斯奥比斯波加州理工学院的主要本科工程项目中与健康相关的研究，并让本科生参与生物医学研究，以帮助他们为生物医学工程职业做好准备。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Articular cartilage has a poor intrinsic healing capacity that is likely related to the relatively low cellularity, metabolic activity, and avascularity of AC. Current clinical repair strategies for treating cartilage defects include tissue grafting and tissue engineering, yet there remains considerable debate about the best treatment strategy. The long-term goal of the research proposed here is to develop novel bioengineering analysis that may be used with experimental approaches to improve cartilage repair strategies. The objective of this proposal is to test the hypothesis that a cartilage growth mixture model employing a collagen network - fixed charge density stress balance can predict the evolution of biomechanical properties during in vitro growth protocols related to cartilage repair. Specifically, the first aim is to test if the evolution of strain-dependent biomechanical properties are related to biochemical parameters for several in vitro growth protocols of articular cartilage tissue. The second aim is to test if a cartilage growth mixture model with a collagen network - fixed charge density stress balance can be validated using experimental measures of biomechanical properties for several in vitro growth protocols of articular cartilage tissue. Important secondary aims of the proposed research are to enhance health related research in our predominantly undergraduate engineering program at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and to engage undergraduate students in biomedical research to help prepare them for careers in biomedical engineering.