Theoretical Biophysics: Projects

Angiogenesis, the formation of new capillaries from pre-existing vessels, plays a critical role during bone regeneration and repair. In addition to an appropriate mechanical environment, sufficient supply of oxygen and nutrients is critical for bone formation. Mechano-biological models have been previously used to predict the time course of the differentiation process with the mechanical environment as the only regulator of cell activity. Here we propose a mechano-biological model for tissue differentiation where cell activity is regulated by both the local mechanical environment and the local vascularity. Results show a significant effect of the morphology of the new capillary network on bone formation and heterogeneous distributions of cells similar to those seen in histological studies. Keywords—Angiogenesis, blood vessel formation, capillary network, tissue differentiation, mechano-regulation, mechanobiology.