Electromechanics of cartilage: surface mapping, instrumentation/software development, structure/function relationships

关节软骨是覆盖在骨骼末端的白色组织，允许在日常活动中进行关节运动和负荷。它没有神经，也没有自然的愈合能力，因此软骨的损伤和疾病通常会继续发展，直到它被磨损，露出骨头，引起疼痛和关节炎。目前缺乏对关节炎和软骨疾病的治疗，这在很大程度上是因为我们无法准确和敏感地监测软骨退变早期的变化，而治疗可能会有效地干预。目前对软骨的临床诊断工具在敏感性和特异性以及对疾病进展的预测价值方面是不够的。 Polytech的团队是监测软骨在负载下产生的电场的机电特性和方法方面的专家。他们发明了两种技术来检测软骨在负载下产生的电场，并表明这些测量对软骨的变化非常敏感，即软骨退化。这些发明已经获得了专利，并转让给了一家加拿大公司，该公司由前理工学院研究生拥有。该项目旨在继续该公司、Biomentum Inc.和该大学之间的合作，提供所有必要的数据、仪器和软件，将这两种诊断仪器投入商业销售。实现这一目标有望扩大Biomomentum的市场和销售，推动软骨科学方面的重大科学进步，并帮助临床和制药行业开发有效的关节疾病治疗方法。

Articular cartilage is the white tissue covering the ends of bones allowing for joint motion and loading in daily activities. It has no nerves and no natural capacity to heal so that injury and disease of cartilage generally progresses until it is worn down to expose bone and cause pain and Arthritis. The current lack of treatments for Arthritis and cartilage disease is largely due to our inability to accurately and sensitively monitor cartilage changes in early stages of degeneration where treatments may effectively intervene. Current clinical diagnostic tools for cartilage are insufficient in terms of sensitivity and specificity and predictive value for disease progression. The group at Polytechnique are experts in the electromechanical properties and methods of monitoring electric fields produced by cartilage under load. They have invented two technologies which detect these electric fields produced in cartilage under load and shown that these measurements are very sensitive to cartilage changes, namely degeneration. These inventions have been patented and transferred to a Canadian company owned by former graduate students of Ecole Polytechnique. This project aims to continue this collaboration between the company, Biomomentum Inc, and the University to provide all of the necessary data, instrumentation and software to bring these two diagnostic instruments to commercial sale. Achieving this goal promises to expand Biomomentum's market and sales, generate significant scientific advances in cartilage science, and aid clinical and pharmaceutical communities in developing effective treatments for joint disease.