Structural and biomechanical changes in the meniscus during early osteoarthritis
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Lunds universitet - Institutionen för kliniska vetenskaper, Lund |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 300 000 |
| Project duration | October 2019 - October 2020 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Research infrastructure - utilisation and collaboration |
Purpose and goal
Phase-contrast tomography can reveal the microstructure of tissues by measuring phase shifts in the X-ray beam as it passes through different biomaterials within a sample. In this project, the aim was to integrate synchrotron-based phase contrast tomography with simultaneous biomechanical testing, to subject the meniscus to compression, and simultaneously analyse microstructural changes and damage mechanisms in both healthy and degenerated menisci.
Expected results and effects
We have obtained good image quality of human meniscus on our pilot images where we have developed methods to determine about 10 parameters of our interest for further study. The project will be continued by two students (civil engineers) during Spring 2021 with development of the biomechanical protocol for later imaging. The model may be used for evaluation of regenerated cartilage and meniscus in e.g. animal models with respect to the quality of tissue after different regenerative therapies in both academia and industrial settings.
Planned approach and implementation
The method requires a TOMCAT end station which is currently available in e.g., Switzerland and UK. We had 3 beamline time slots planned during the project time frame, however 2 of them were unfortunately cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We have however obtained some pilot images by distance and evaluated the quality and a strategy for image analysis. We have also accomplished one visit to Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Switzerland (nov 2020), where we obtained data from a series of menisci that we plan to analyze and report results of during 2021 (after formal project ending).