This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.Extending from our previous LRAC-supported work, our computational capabilities have reached a level of fidelity that we can realistically simulate biomechanical experiments of trabecular bone cores and whole vertebrae. This renewal concerns continuing work in the field of bone biomechanics research and osteoporosis and is comprised of three objectives. Our first objective is to study the failure mechanisms of human trabecular bone under multiaxial loading conditions. This study should lend substantial insight into the etiology of fall-related fractures in the proximal femur. The second objective is to investigate the effects of antiresorptive drug treatments on the failure behavior of trabecular bone. Antiresorptive drug treatments are widely used to treat osteoporosis and are highly effective at reducing fracture risk, yet the mechanisms by which these treatments work are not understood the results of this study are intended to elucidate those mechanisms. The third objective continues our analyses of the whole vertebra, which are now being extended to look at bending behavior. Using a combined experimental-computational approach, we will validate the apparent level strength predictions against biomechanical tests in order to better understand the micromechanics of the vertebral fracture. The whole bone analyses are significant not only for their biomechanical relevance but also their computational relevance and are made feasible by our highly scalable algebraic multigrid solver. Experimental validation of these whole bone models will be the first of its kind and will provide validity to our conclusions regarding the failure mechanisms in the vertebral body. This has direct relevance to clinical prediction of fracture risk due to osteoporosis and has substantial basic science merit by its nature as a complex computational biomechanics problem.
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