The study aims at translating recent advances in microscale characterization techniques into clinical practice to improve current diagnostic tools by the knowledge of ECM composition, proteotype, and micromechanical properties of each individual patient biopsy. Using clean room methods and FIB technology on bone for high throughput production of micropillars and automated experimental protocols allows massive parallel scanning. Bone strength of the femoral neck is determined by multiscale experimental and computational approaches for patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty. It will be assessed by data mining approaches if knowledge of proteotype and microscale information combined with clinical data can help to estimate fracture strength at higher accuracy.
As modern societies age, the increasing number of fractures poses a challenge for health care systems worldwide. Hip fractures are especially deleterious, as they lead to a loss of mobility and show an increased mortality. Whole bone strength depends primarily on bone mineral density measured by clinical densitometry, but also on the microscale properties resulting from the complex hierarchical organization and continuous remodeling of the bone extracellular matrix. Especially changes in composition, bone turnover, micromechanical properties of the ECM, and their relationship to clinical fracture risk in the presence of a disease, are not known today.
