Research interest
Simulation-based medicine is our primary research interest. Our focus areas include i) the development of platforms to promote translational use of computational modeling, and ii) the casual relationship between the biomechanics of the higher levels of the biological system (body and organ) and the micromechanics of tissues and cells. Relevant to the former, our team has been providing computational solutions to address practical problems in the clinics. Our expertise has been used in many applications, from insole design for patients with diabetes to evaluation of trochlear osteotomy. As part of the latter research area, we couple simulation domains and spatial scales of musculoskeletal biomechanics and tissue mechanics to explore healthy and diseased function of the human body. We managed to adequately and cost-effectively couple musculoskeletal movement simulations and tissue deformations. Our current work is focused on coupling simulations of tissue deformations with those of the cells. This requirement became evident since mechanically induced cellular function and damage, as seen in osteoarthritis (a debilitating disease estimated to influence 26.5 million people only in the US), can be predicted by establishing the pathway from body level mechanical forces. Preventive procedures and interventions can be designed to accommodate dysfunction of this mechanical pathway.
In other words ...
The aging process and debilitating diseases such as osteoarthritis affect many aspects of the mechanical function of the human body: from the way we move to how our muscles, joints, tissues, and cells accommodate the loading exerted on the body during daily activities. Our research program develops state-of-the-art computational representations of the human body to understand how movement patterns and loads on the joints reflect on the deformation of tissues and cells. Through modeling and simulation, we test management strategies to accommodate dysfunction that may occur within the whole musculoskeletal system. Our team also provides cost-effective and efficient tools and interfaces to support diagnostics, decision-making, treatment and intervention design in other disciplines of medical care, i.e. simulation-based stent design and assessment for cardivovascular care.
Highlighted Publications
Halloran, J. P., and Erdemir, A. (2011) Adaptive surrogate modeling for expedited estimation of nonlinear tissue properties through inverse finite element analysis, Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 39, 2388-2397.
Halloran, J. P., Ackermann, M., Erdemir, A. and van den Bogert, A. J. (2010) Concurrent musculoskeletal dynamics and finite element analysis predicts altered gait patterns to reduce foot tissue loading, Journal of Biomechanics, 43, 2810-2815.
Erdemir, A., Srimamilla, P. A., Halloran, J. P. and van den Bogert, A. J. (2009) An elaborate data set characterizing the mechanical response of the foot, Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 131, 094502.
Erdemir, A., McLean, S., Herzog, W. and van den Bogert, A. J. (2007) Model-based estimation of muscle forces exerted during movements, Clinical Biomechanics, 22, 131-154.
