Soft tissue

09 Soft tissue modelling: from mechano-biology to real-time simulation


Soft tissues are represented as particles allowing great flexibility to simulate soft-tissues



The aim of this cluster of projects is to achieve better and more cost-effective care of patients by developing appropriate techniques for surgical training, planning, and minimally-invasive surgery. We also look towards the future of computer aided intervention by integrating simulation and modelling methods to enable patient- and site-specific tissue-engineered constructs for soft-tissue replacement surgery. The immediate outcome of our research will include improved understanding of the structural multiscale relationships in soft-tissues (through experimental measurements, tissue-engineering, and scalable particle simulations), accurate fundamental mathematical models of tissue behaviour, and powerful simulation and visualization tools for planning, simulation and intervention in surgery. Active support will be provided to integrate the methods developed in this cluster to the wider network of Co-Me members.
Sub Projects
09/1 Physically based constitutive models of biological tissues

Phenomenological constitutive equations will be developed to include terms reflecting the contribution of specific constituents and structural features which influence the physical behaviour of avascular soft tissues measured experimentally.
Project Leader: Edoardo Mazza - Institute of Mechanical Systems, ETH Zurich
09/2 Multiscale particle simulations of soft tissues

In this work novel multiscale computational tools based on particle methods will be developed and implemented.
Project Leader: Petros Koumoutsakos - Institute of Computational Science, ETH Zurich
09/3 Representation and data structures for meshless approaches

The goal of this subproject is to investigate representations and data structures for meshless approaches to represent biological tissues in tracking of topological changes whilst preserving the detail of the original surface in real-time simulation.
Project Leader: Miguel Otaduy - Computer Graphics Laboratory, ETH Zurich
09/4 Soft tissue in hip arthroplasty

To improve planning and navigation for hip resurfacing (in partnership with the Hôpital Orthopedique de la Suisse Romande/HOSR and Midland Medical Technologies/MMT), by including information about soft tissues in the 3D model.
Project Leader: Charles Baur - Virtual Reality and Active Interfaces Group (VRAI), EPF Lausanne
09/5 Mechanobiology and simulation for tissue-engineering

This subproject is focused on the synthesis of soft-tissue computational modeling, mechanical design and process control to develop bioreactors which can ultimately produce tissue implants with patient-specific tissue morphology and properties.
Project Leader: Stephen Ferguson - MEMCenter, Institute for Surgical Technology and Biomechanics
09/6 Benchmarking of the mechanical properties of ex-vivo specimens

Tissue-engineered constructs will be tested and classified to allow contributors to the mechanical behavior to be identified and targeted during soft-tissue culturing.
Project Leader: Edoardo Mazza - Institute of Mechanical Systems, ETH Zurich
09/7 Towards a comprehensive understanding and modeling of lumen formation
Project Leader: Ruth Kroschewski - Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zurich
Dimos Poulikakos - Laboratory of Thermodynamics in Emerging Technologies, ETH Zurich
Project Coordination
Project Leader: Stephen Ferguson - MEMCenter, Institute for Surgical Technology and Biomechanics
Deputy: Philippe Buechler - MEMCenter, Institute for Surgical Technology and Biomechanics, University of Bern