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Knee Model

Dynamic Simulation of Joints Using Multi-Scale Modeling

Contents

• Contact Information
• Funding Agency 
• Research Emphasis 
• Disease Focus 
• Scales Examined 
• Biomedical, Biological &  Behavioral Areas
• Modeling Methods & Tools  
• Software Development 

Contact Information

Principal Investigator/Contact
Trent Guess
University of Missouri - Kansas City 
Phone: (816) 235-1252
Email: guesstr@umkc.edu
Project Website: http://www.sce.umkc.edu/~guesstr/Projects.htm

Co-PIs and Collaborators
Anil Misra
University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC)

Ganesh Thiagarajan
University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC)

Reza Derakhshani
University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC) 
 
Lorin Maletsky
University of Kansas

Terence McIff
University of Kansas Medical Center 

Grant Number - 506297

Funding Agency

National Science Foundation (NSF)

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Research Emphasis

Dynamic loading of the knee is believed to play a significant role in the development and progression of tissue wear disease and injury. Macro level rigid body joint models provide insight into joint loading, motion, and motor control. A major limitation of these models is their simplistic (or non-existent) representation of the non-linear, rate dependent behavior of soft tissue structures. This limitation prevents holistic computational approaches to investigating the complex interactions of knee structures and tissues. It also hinders our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of knee injury and disease. The objective of this project is to develop validated neural network models that reproduce the dynamic behavior of menisci-tibio-femoral articulations and to demonstrate the utility of these models in a musculoskeletal model of the leg.

A synergistic interdisciplinary team has been assembled to address the objective and aims of the proposed project comprising experts in rigid body dynamics and knee modeling, Finite Element (FE) modeling, nano-micro scale material modeling, neural networks, and clinical and experimental biomechanics.

Femur: The femur is the bone in the leg that extends from the hip to the knee.

Tibia: The larger of the two bones in the leg (the smaller one being the fibula). The tibia is familiarly known as the shinbone.

Meniscus: The meniscus is a thickened cartilage pad between the two joints formed by the femur and tibia. 

Abstract

Disease Focus

Joint dysfunction (osteoarthritis)

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Scales Examined 

Time Scales

• Second (s)

Biological Scales

• Tissue
• Organ
• Organ Systems

Length Scales 

• Micrometer (μm)
• Millimeter (mm)
• Centimeter (cm)
• Ten centimeter

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Biomedical, Biological and Behavioral (BBB) Areas and Percent Focus

40% - Musculoskeletal biomechanics with application to knee function and tissue properties. Relationship between meniscus properties, tibio-femoral contact, and anterior cruciate ligament strain during ambulatory activity. Orthopedics, tissue engineering, and biomaterials.

Modeling Methods and Tools (MMT)Areas and Percent Focus

60% - Multi-scale model combining molecular/continuum mechanics, dynamic biphasic Finite Element (FE) simulation using stress-strain relationships derived from molecular/continuum mechanics, neural network based training of dynamic tissue behavior from FE simulation, anatomically based dynamic multi-body knee model with trained neural networks of tissue response.

Software Development