My project is concerned with the impact of mechanical stimuli on pluripotential tissue differentiation. Our research group has developed a tissue differentiation hypothesis relating hydrostatic stress and tensile strain to differentiation of pluripotential tissue into cartilage, bone, fibrocartilage, or fibrous tissue.
Bone development is permitted in regions of low stress and strain.
Using finite element analysis, I am investigating how the stresses and strains in a fracture callus can inhibit normal secondary fracture healing and, instead, induce pseudarthrosis formation.