Patent ID: 8880385

Claim:
A method of predicting a mechanical response of a subject bone osteon to an applied force comprising the steps of: (a) identifying a subject bone osteon; (b) selecting at least one database comprising empirical data based on recorded observations of at least one parameter in a selected region of the subject bone osteon, wherein the selected region of the subject bone osteon comprises an interface between a lacuna and extracellular matrix (ECM) in the subject bone osteon, and wherein the at least one parameter is collagen bundle orientations; (c) using the database with a first computer program to generate a simulated region of the subject bone osteon, the simulated region comprising a perilacunar region of the selected region of the subject bone osteon, wherein the first computer program performs the steps of: (1) defining a simulated three-dimensional region corresponding to the simulated perilacunar region of the simulated region of the subject bone osteon; (2) creating a finite element mesh defining a finite number of three-dimensional elements filling the simulated three-dimensional region; and (3) assigning collagen bundle orientation to each of a plurality of the elements in the finite element mesh using data from the database; and (d) using a second computer program to predict a mechanical response of the selected region of the subject bone osteon to an applied force, wherein the second computer program performs the steps of: (1) generating a simulated force applied to the simulated three-dimensional region; (2) calculating a response to the simulated force for each of the plurality of elements in the finite element mesh using the assigned collagen bundle orientation for each element; (3) computing a response of the simulated three-dimensional region to the simulated force using the calculated responses of the plurality of elements in the finite element mesh; (4) computing the mechanical response of the simulated region of the subject bone osteon as a function of collagen bundle orientation using the computed response of the simulated three-dimensional region to the simulated force; and (5) outputting the computed mechanical response of the selected region of the subject bone osteon to the simulated force.