Greet Kerckhofs
In biomechanics, the aim is to get a better understanding of the relationship between structure, function and biological performance of biological systems, such as humans, animals, organs, tissues, cells, etc. It is a highly interdisciplinary field, combining the expertise of engineers with that of biologists and clinicians. The aim of the Biomechanics lab @ UCL is to apply a combinatory research approach, encompassing experiments, characterization and computational modelling, to solve different biomedical and biomechanical research questions. Particularly, we have a strong expertise in 3D imaging, and more specific contrast-enhanced X-ray microfocus computed tomography (CE-CT), enabling to visualize and structurally analyze multiple biological tissues (both mineralized and soft). When combining this with mechanical loading inside the CT device (i.e. 4D-CT), we can dynamically assess the ex vivo mechanical behavior of multi-tissue structure, such as the bone-tendon interface or intravascular stents while they are inflated within arteries. When combining CE-CT or 4D-CT with computational modeling, our aim is to improve the knowledge of the functional behavior of different biological tissues, such as the blood flow within the bone marrow compartment of long bones or the mechanics of the bone-tendon interface.