Multi-scale Approach To Understand the Role of Mechanical Loading in Cartilage Homeostasis & Disease

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

4:00 PM-5:30 PM

BIOMED Seminar

Title:
An integrated, Multi-scale Approach To Understand the Role of Mechanical Loading in Cartilage Homeostasis and Disease: Bridging From Joint to Chondrocyte

Speaker:
Ilse Jonkers, PhD
Director
Human Movement Biomechanics Research Group
Department of Movement Science
iSi Health - KU Leuven Institute  of Physics-based Modeling for in silico Health
Belgium

Details:
To design and adapt therapeutic approaches that successfully impact degenerative joint diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA), it is indispensable to understand how articular cartilage is loaded during locomotion. Furthermore, the local cartilage loading needs to be related to the molecular response of the chondrocytes. In my presentation, I aim to demonstrate how multi-scale approaches will leverage unprecedented insights in the mechanobiological response of early osteoarthritic cartilage. More specific, I will identify biomarkers of early OA during locomotion (using multi-scale modeling), relate the mechanical loading to experimentally measured cartilage deformations (using high-field MRI) and identify the effect of the local mechanical cues to constituent expression (using adaptive FE modeling informed by bioreactor experiments).

I am convinced that the insights of such an integrated multi-scale approach will be at the basis of future regenerative interventions that hold the unique potential to arrest early structural cartilage changes that would otherwise progress to end-stage OA.

Biosketch:
From my PhD (2000) onwards, I successfully bridged from a classical human movement science and physical therapy profile towards an integrated biomedical science and biomedical engineering profile, exploiting maximally the use of 3D motion capture and multi-body simulation techniques to advance the understanding on pathological movement. The two-year postdoctoral stay at the bioengineering department at Stanford University (Prof Delp) was a pivotal experience in this process. To date, I am a professor at the Human Movement Biomechanics Research Group at KU Leuven.

My group is conducting internationally highly competitive research on the quantification of whole joint loading using multi-body simulation. Its work is known for the development of subject-specific musculoskeletal models containing a high level of anatomical detail, especially in the context of cerebral palsy. More recent research activities relate to the development of multi-scale modelling of bone and cartilage adaptation and advanced medical imaging of cartilage to understand degenerative joint diseases. In this context, I am to elucidate the role of mechanical loading in cartilage homeostasis and disease using multi-axial bioreactor experiments to unravel the pivotal processes that impair mechano-adaptation in early OA cartilage. I am passionate about this new, highly multi-disciplinary research line combining biomedical sciences (human movement science, musculoskeletal modelling, cartilage biology and imaging) and engineering sciences (multi-scale modelling).

In line with my multi-disciplinary research activities, I am a strong advocate of the use of physics-based modeling and simulation approaches for health-related applications. In my role as director of iSi Health – the KU Leuven Institute of Physics-based Modeling for In Silico Health, it is my ambition to accelerate bringing in silico techniques from bed to bench-side, thereby supporting innovation in healthcare.

Contact Information

Lisa Williams
ltw22@drexel.edu