About bridges and bones - Insights to bone tissue tension with ex-vivo experiments

Dr. Victoria Schemenz

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

Email: victoria.schemenz@charite.de

Abstract: Bone, a strong, durable, and resilient biological material, is formed by collagen nanofibers and carbonated apatite mineral nanocrystals. During mineralization, collagen molecules shrink, compressing mineral particles and creating stresses that are nearly half of the bone's tensile strength. This internal stress protects the mineral against early brittle failure. Researchers have used small-angle X-ray scattering and wide-angle X-ray diffraction to evaluate residual strain in bone. Our group has found that radiation damage to collagen in dry bone diminishes compressive stress on the mineral, underscoring the importance of an intact organic bone matrix.

In my talk, I will show how we measure the release of compressive strain in situ and create strain maps of different bone types, which might improve our understanding of bone development.

Host: Henrik Birkedal, PhD, Professor - Department of Chemistry & iNANO, Aarhus University