Early Assessment of Osteoarthritis
Darven's research focuses on developing a method to detect and study early-stage osteoarthritis. We utilise a custom-built polarisation-sensitive optical coherence tomography system, paired with a compression imaging head, to analyse how collagen fibrils in cartilage dynamically respond to compression. Collagen fibrils are crucial for cartilage's mechanical integrity, and analysing their behavior under strain is key to identifying early degenerative changes.
Daniel's research focuses on the early-stage detection of articular cartilage degeneration, to determine the onset of osteoarthritis such that preventative management can be applied. This is through mechanical creep and stress relaxation ex-situ compression, and subsequent microstructural and ultrastructural analysis of cellular and fibrillar architecture. The research also aims to develop a model that links mechanical loading methodology to optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging output, such that the time to determine the microstructural properties of cartilage can be reduced via a combination of mechanical loading with OCT technology, enabling faster diagnosis of cartilage health.
PhD Student Daniel Everett
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Cartilage Morphology
Funding and collaborators
Professor Ashvin
Tambyah
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Connect with us
Associate Professor Frederique Vanholsbeeck
In addition to developing state-of-the-art imaging capabilities, Frederique has successfully worked towards improving the OCT technique. In particular the development of original signal processing methods using OCT to identify tissues of different natures, adding a layer of functional information to the structural image. Visit the link to contact Frederique.
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