by Keyword: Tissue differentiation
Byrne, Damien P., Lacroix, Damien, Prendergast, Patrick J., (2011). Simulation of fracture healing in the tibia: Mechanoregulation of cell activity using a lattice modeling approach 
Journal of Orthopaedic Research , 29, (10), 1496-1503
In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) computational simulation of bone regeneration was performed in a human tibia under realistic muscle loading. The simulation was achieved using a discrete lattice modeling approach combined with a mechanoregulation algorithm to describe the cellular processes involved in the healing process namely proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and differentiation of cells. The main phases of fracture healing were predicted by the simulation, including the bone resorption phase, and there was a qualitative agreement between the temporal changes in interfragmentary strain and bending stiffness by comparison to experimental data and clinical results. Bone healing was simulated beyond the reparative phase by modeling the transition of woven bone into lamellar bone. Because the simulation has been shown to work with realistic anatomical 3D geometry and muscle loading, it demonstrates the potential of simulation tools for patient-specific pre-operative treatment planning.
JTD Keywords: Tissue differentiation, Computational analysis, Mechanical conditions, Bone regeneration, Weight-bearing, Proliferation, Osteoblast, Stiffness, Ingrowth, Scaffold
Milan, J. L., Planell, J. A., Lacroix, D., (2010). Simulation of bone tissue formation within a porous scaffold under dynamic compression Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology 9, (5), 583-596
A computational model of mechanoregulation is proposed to predict bone tissue formation stimulated mechanically by overall dynamical compression within a porous polymeric scaffold rendered by micro-CT. Dynamic compressions of 0.5-5% at 0.0025-0.025 s(-1) were simulated. A force-controlled dynamic compression was also performed by imposing a ramp of force from 1 to 70 N. The model predicts homogeneous mature bone tissue formation under strain levels of 0.5-1% at strain rates of 0.0025-0.005 s(-1). Under higher levels of strain and strain rates, the scaffold shows heterogeneous mechanical behaviour which leads to the formation of a heterogeneous tissue with a mixture of mature bone and fibrous tissue. A fibrous tissue layer was also predicted under the force-controlled dynamic compression, although the same force magnitude was found promoting only mature bone during a strain-controlled compression. The model shows that the mechanical stimulation of bone tissue formation within a porous scaffold closely depends on the loading history and on the mechanical behaviour of the scaffold at local and global scales.
JTD Keywords: Bone tissue engineering, Scaffold, Tissue differentiation, Mechanoregulation, Finite element analysis
