Affiliations: [a] Department of Anatomy, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland | [b] Trinity Centre for Bioengineering, Trinity College, Ireland | [c] Department of Chemistry, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland | [x] Mechanical Engineering Faculty, Laboratory for Materials Technology, University of Applied Science, Regensburg, Germany | [y] University Clinic, Department of Traumatology, Regensburg, Germany
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Professor T.C. Lee, Department of Anatomy, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland. Tel.: +353 1 402 2264; Fax: +353 1 402 2355; E-mail: tclee@rcsi.ie.
Abstract: Mechanobiology is concerned with the relationships between mechanical forces and biological processes. Bone adapts to altered mechanical loading by modelling and remodelling. Microdamage is a stimulus for adaptation as shown by a sheep overload model. If microdamage accumulates it leads to fracture failure, notably in osteoporosis. Detection methods, based on chelating fluorochromes and radiopaque agents, will enable microdamage to be quantified and, along with bone mass, aid in fracture prediction and prevention. Mechanobiological principles can be utilised to create tissue engineered bone grafts in cases of bone loss due to trauma, malignancy or resorption.
