Interested in diving into the fascinating world of vascular biomechanics and imaging? There is an open position for a PhD candidate in the field of experimental vascular biomechanics in the Biomechanics Group at Erasmus MC / TU Delft.

Application links and more info: https://www.werkenbijerasmusmc.nl/en/vacancy/88181/phd-position-experimental-vascular-biomechanics-11.05.23.td1

The INSERM U1059 Sainbiose laboratory is looking for a PhD student in the framework of a new French National Research Agency (ANR) project “Insole Optimization for Rheumatoid Arthritis patients” (coll. CHU Saint-Etienne, INRIA Alpes).

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common chronic inflammatory joint disease, with a prevalence of about 0.5%. RA is a peripheral polyarthritis that affects the hands and feet: foot function is compromised, which is accompanied by changes in plantar pressures and gait disorders that have a strong impact on daily activities. Foot pain and disability can be reduced with customized foot orthotics and therapeutic footwear. The mechanisms involved in this treatment lack methodological evaluation. In particular, the design of the insoles and their relationship to internal effects such as joint pressure and soft tissue deformities have not been studied due to the difficult nature of such studies in a clinical environment.
From a medical point of view, the INORA project aims to understand, through patient-specific numerical biomechanical models, the mechanisms of action of shoes and orthopedic insoles in order to propose a well-founded design methodology. From a more fundamental point of view, these models will allow the discovery of the mechanical determinants of pain relief, which will promote the long-term well-being of patients.

The thesis project will focus on the mechanical finite element modeling of a moving foot, and then the optimization of the medical device (sole, shoe) in order to minimize the stresses in the critical pain areas. We are looking for a (bio) mechanical engineer with good numerical skills, interested in health applications and able to integrate in a multi-disciplinary research team.

More info:

DESIGN OF A BIOMECHANICALLY OPTIMIZED SCAFFOLD FOR MANDIBULAR RECONSTRUCTION

The Julius Wolff Institute is within the university structure of the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. As a research institute, we run applications and basic research in the fields of orthopedics and trauma surgery. Our main research field is the regeneration and biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system.
Background
Mandibular reconstruction after tumor resection is a challenging procedure usually performed using an autologous vascularized bone graft fixated with reconstruction plates (Figure 1). However, the non-physiological biomechanical environment induced at the injured site and donor site morbidity can negatively impact the healing outcome and patient quality of life. Tissue engineering allows exploring alternative solutions to traditional bone grafts such as scaffolds, i.e. structures able to support the formation of new functional tissues. However, if scaffolds can biomechanically support the bone healing process in mandibular reconstruction remains to be investigated.
Your Responsibilities
In this context, the Julius Wolff Institute is looking for a highly motivated individual for an internship or Master thesis. You will develop finite element models of reconstructed mandibles and design a scaffold to investigate its biomechanical impact on the healing outcome. The student will also simulate several biting tasks, design implant fixation and study their effect on the biomechanical environment within the mandibular defect. The project is part of a close collaboration with clinical partners.

More information:

Regenerative medicine (RM) holds the promise to cure many of what are now chronic patients, restoring health rather than protracting decline, bettering the lives of millions and at the same time preventing lifelong, expensive care processes: cure instead of care. The scientific community has made large steps in this direction over the past decade, however our understanding of the fundamentals of cell, tissue and organ regeneration and of how to stimulate and guide this with intelligent biomaterials in the human body is still in its infancy. Materials properties such as elasticity, topography, hydrophobicity, and porosity have all been shown to influence cell fate, and the introduction of high-throughput combinatorial approaches is expediting research. However, in order to improve the design of synthetic biomaterials, it is crucial to understand the physiological cell-biomaterial interactions and how these influence the tissue remodeling process. This research project aims to use in silico models to simulate physiological and fibrotic cell-ECM interactions, including dynamic tissue remodeling through ECM deposition and alignment, to improve our fundamental understanding thereof and use the obtained knowledge to design improved synthetic matrices.  

Project description:

• Computational modeling of tissue remodeling to inform the design of synthetic matrices
• Multiscale modeling: coupling ABM to FEM to investigate the role of dynamic tissue compositions and alignment
• Parameter optimization and sensitivity analysis
• Analysis and integration of various in vitro/in vivo data for model calibration

More information:

https://www.academictransfer.com/en/323433/phd-position-merln-computational-modeling-of-fibrotic-scarring/