Computational Mechanobiology in Cartilage and Bone Tissue Engineering: From Cell Phenotype to Tissue Structure - Computational Modeling in Tissue Engineering - page 329

Computational Mechanobiology
in Cartilage and Bone Tissue Engineering:
From Cell Phenotype to Tissue Structure
Thomas Nagel and Daniel J. Kelly
Abstract This chapter gives a short overview of computational models in carti-
lage and bone tissue engineering with a focus on how mechanical cues can reg-
ulate tissue regeneration on multiple levels, from cell phenotype to tissue
architecture. The chapter begins with a brief review of single cell models with a
focus on cell-substrate interactions and cytoskeletal remodelling. After summa-
rising a number of current theories for mechanoregulated tissue differentiation, we
explain how such hypotheses can either be corroborated or rejected by attempting
to simulate in vivo regenerative events. We then outline a recently introduced
model for MSC differentiation based on substrate stiffness and oxygen tension as
well as how tissue phenotype and organisation can be explored simultaneously
within a computational model. The application of computational models to aid in
the design of scaffolds for bone and cartilage repair is demonstrated. We also
outline how such models can be used in the design and analysis of bioreactors,
demonstrating how changes in tissue structure in response to mechanical loading
during bioreactor culture can potentially impact the mechanical properties of the
final engineered constructs. The chapter closes with a short overview of multiscale
models with relevance to tissue engineering.
T. Nagel ( & ) D. J. Kelly
Centre for Bioengineering, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute,
Trinity College Dublin, 152-160 Pearse Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
e-mail: [e-mail]
D. J. Kelly
e-mail: [e-mail]
T. Nagel D. J. Kelly
Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering,
School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland