Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
• These mechanisms need to be coupled, i.e. thermodynamical considerations
(energy and mass exchange) affect growth and remodelling, which in turn alters
the mechanical properties of the tissue and might affect the environment in
which chemical reactions take place, etc.
• Time and length scales need to be bridged and knowledge from the individual
models effectively linked.
When viewed from a clinical perspective other considerations enter the agenda.
While in basic research the immediate goal is to gain knowledge, models are only
justified and necessary in a clinical environment where there is a measurable
patient benefit. Therefore, questions on whether a particular computational tool
can aid in making treatment decisions, plan surgical interventions or choose an
appropriate implant need to be answered under the pressure of health care budget
constraints. Another major challenge lies before the realisation of computer-
assisted patient specific regenerative medicine: Verification and validation. When
the welfare of human beings is affected by decisions based on computational
predictions, the underlying models will need to be rigorously tested and their
creation, validation and application officially regulated.
Finally, the commercial sector can contribute to both the clinical and academic
worlds. For example, one can envisage the development of adaptive bioreactors that
feature the online integration of predictive models for the assessment of otherwise
unknown state variables of the cultured tissue and the cells within it. Robustness, ease
of use and validation are some of the principal requirements. The challenges and
opportunities are huge and provide space for a large variety of modelling approaches
and their development towards routine applications. It seems equally important to
discover new approaches as it is to learn from established fields to avoid re-inventing
the wheel. The enthusiasm in exploring these new developments needs to be paired
with a critical assessment of their potential benefits.
Acknowledgments We thank Dr. Patrick McGarry for image material. Funding was provided by
IRCSET (G30345) and a SFI PIYRA award (08/YI5/B1336).
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