Osteoporosis diagnosis through multiscale modeling of bone fracture using the boundary element method, molecular dynamics, and other computational methods

• Grant number: 22/03410-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: August 01, 2022
• End date: July 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Mechanical Engineering - Mechanics of Solids
• Principal Investigator: Munir Salomao Skaf
• Grantee: Amadeus Cavalcanti Salvador de Alcântara
• Supervisor: Markus J. Buehler
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica (FEM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 18/18503-2 - Osteoporosis diagnosis through multiscale modeling of bone fracture using the boundary element method and molecular dynamics, BP.DD

Abstract

Osteoporosis-induced bone fracture is a major health concern. The rising average life expectancy implies that a greater fraction of the population will be afflicted by osteoporosis, a chronic condition which decreases bone toughness and increases fracture risk by deteriorating tissue structure from the molecular to the macroscopic length scale. If current medical diagnosis technologies remain unimproved, osteoporosis-induced bone fracture will become a heavier social and financial burden for health care systems worldwide. By identifying bone structure failure criteria and correlating them to early signs of tissue deterioration, predictive diagnosis will be improved. A novel approach is proposed to the early diagnosis of fracture in osteoporotic bone tissue: the 3D multiscale modeling and simulation of osteoporosis-induced bone fracture using the Boundary Element Method, Molecular Dynamics, and other Computational Methods. Since the simulation domain is defined from Computed Tomography data, simulation analysis produces patient-specific bone fracture risk analysis. (AU)