Prashant Bansal, MS

Doctoral Student

Research Assistant

Phone: 617.667.5380

Fax:     617.667.7175

Email:  pbansal@bidmc.harvard.edu

pbansal@bu.edu

Background

I am a second year Ph.D. student in the Biomedical Engineering department at Boston University.  My doctoral thesis advisors are Drs. Brian Snyder from the Orthopedic Biomechanics Laboratory ( Harvard Medical School ) and Mark Grinstaff from the Chemistry department at Boston University.  My Ph.D. thesis consists of developing a rabbit elbow model to define the window of compressive and shear strain deformation necessary to maintain cartilage viability. Currently, to treat early joint degeneration related to misaligned weight-bearing joint surfaces surgeons change the loading pattern of articular cartilage relying on “seat of the pants assumptions” as to what the “ideal” orientation of the articular surfaces should be. Often these assumptions are based on two-dimensional plain x-ray projections of the complex three-dimensional joint anatomy. To date, none of the clinical studies that have evaluated the long-term results of these reconstructive surgeries have proven that changing the alignment of the joint actually preserves the joint and prevents the progression of osteoarthritis. I am working to develop a rabbit elbow model that will allow controlled progressive deformation of cartilage in compression and in combination with simple shear to define the “window” of cartilage strain that best maintains cartilage viability and to assess whether changing from a state of high cartilage deformation to low deformation ameliorates the progression of cartilage degradation. This model will also lend itself to test 3D scaffolds used for cartilage tissue engineering for their mechanical viability when implanted into the joints.

I am also working on developing CT based imaging techniques to be able to study cartilage health in whole joints of small animals such as rabbits.

I am further involved in characterizing material properties of synthetic polysaccharide mimics that could be used as synthetic lubricants for synovial joints.

During my Masters’ education at The Pennsylvania State University (PSU), I worked on developing a novel technique to compute mechanical energy flows contributed by all the muscles and elastic structures in the foot and shank of non-amputees. Below-knee prostheses are often evaluated by examining the "ankle" joint power despite the fact that no such joint is incorporated into their design. Prostheses can store energy without any deformation occurring at the "ankle", hence comparisons to the ankle joint power curves of intact limbs may be lacking. The results obtained by the technique I developed differ significantly from the ankle joint power, both temporally and in magnitude. These findings will make mechanical energy comparison between prostheses and intact lower limbs direct and more meaningful. This technique can also be used as a guide for biomimetic prosthesis design, and tune the performance of prostheses.

Please contact me to discuss any possible collaborative work in the areas of cartilage mechanics, cartilage imaging and tissue engineering of cartilage.