Hanna Isaksson's KTH Solid Mechanics KEYNOTE seminar "Multiscale imaging of the mechanical behavior of soft musculoskeletal tissues"

Hanna_Isaksson 2026_06_04.pdf (pdf 201 kB)

Abstract. Musculoskeletal soft tissues have unique hierarchical structure and composition that together entail their mechanical function and response to load. They are generally composed of collagen rich fibrous matrix, that together with the extracellular matrix and water makes up the tissue. The hierarchical structure of the tissues is optimized for their unique function. To understand musculoskeletal disorders and diseases, one must understand structure, composition, and functional relationships. This presentation will give an overview of our strive towards developing synchrotron-based multiscale approaches to visualize and study soft tissues during simultaneous load, using tomographic imaging, small angle scattering and/or spectroscopic methods. It will focus on the articular cartilage and meniscus in the knee, as well as the Achilles tendon and provide examples of the application of these methods. The experiments are tailored to deliver important data for image correlation approaches, computational model development and validation. Recent findings of the importance of integrating direct in situ imaging data into computational models for articular cartilage and tendon mechanics will be presented. To summarize, it will emphasize the importance of further combined development of dedicated experiment and computational approaches, as it will be key to expanding our understanding of mechanobiological, biomechanical or biological processes in a range of musculoskeletal tissues, both in health and disease.