It’s all connected: Relating structure, material, & function in musculoskeletal tissues

Mariana Kersh, Ph.D.  
McKenzie Post-doctoral Research Fellow
Department of Mechanical Engineering  
University of Melbourne, Australia

Bone and joint diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis significantly impact the quality of life of those afflicted, and impose a personal and societal financial burden. Relating the structural and mechanical properties of musculoskeletal tissues to their function can help increase our understanding and therefore the treatment of bone and joint diseases. With this aim in mind, and using bone as a case study, this talk will (1) explore the assessment of bone structure in clinical-level medical images, (2) link bone architecture to functional outcomes using the finite-element method, and (3) evaluate the potential for exercise to  combat  bone  loss  using  musculo-skeletal  and  finite-element  models.  This  methodology  has  been  developed as a top-down approach wherein macro-level tissue properties are evaluated with specific functional  needs  in  mind,  e.g.  mitigating  bone  loss  or restoring  joint  movement  after  orthopaedic  surgeries,  with  minimal  computational  expense.  Moreover,  the  combined  roles  of  musculoskeletal  tissues  (bone,  cartilage, ligaments) in joint function can eventually be understood and translated to the clinical realm to improve the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. 

Dr. Mariana Kersh is a McKenzie Post-doctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on experimental methods to evaluate macro-level mechanical and structural properties of bone, cartilage, and connective tissues, in order to include them into finite element simulations of these tissues under physiological loads. She first received a Bachelor of Arts in English at The University of Texas-Austin, then obtained a Bachelors and Masters in Mechanical Engineering, and PhD from the interdisciplinary Materials Science Program at The University of Wisconsin – Madison. She was named Early Career Researcher of the Year (2013) by the Australia-New Zealand Orthopedic Research Society.