Using Bed Rest Study Data to Support Load Estimation on the Distal Human Tibia for Simulating Bone Loss During Mechanical Disuse
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Computational models of bone remodeling are suitable tools for simulating bone loss during mechanical disuse, such as immobilisation or microgravity. Established multiscale mechanobiological models take in simplistic stimuli (e.g. peak loading from a single gait cycle) and compute the bone’s morphological changes from the bone cell population dynamics [Lerebours 2016]. However, these inputs lack the experimental depth required for realistic, subject-specific predictions. To address this, we integrate empirical data in order to develop a more sophisticated mechanobiological stimulus. Bed rest studies conducted by the European Space Agency (ESA) offer well-controlled study settings and a uniquely high level of standardisation. From provided ESA bed rest study data, we identify distinct correlations between body functionality (e.g. cardiovascular fitness reflected by VO2max), anthropometry (e.g body mass), bone quality of the distal tibia (e.g. bone mineral density) and bone metabolism (e.g. turnover biomarkers). Thus, we use the available data to create a physiological profile which will provide a basis for estimating a detailed mechanobiological stimulus. This work is supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Germany (Projects: DLR 50WB2021 & 50WB2022) and the ESA.
