12 March 2013
A computer model of the human musculoskeletal system is to be mapped out by researchers at the University of Sheffield following a £6.7 million grant annouced by the UK’s Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts today (Tuesday 12 March 2013).
The model will lead to personalised treatment for diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis and back pain - saving money and leading to better outcomes and faster recovery.
The five-year programme will see experts from the University of Sheffield’s INSIGNEO Institute for in silico (meaning via computer simulation) medicine, a joint initiative of the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, create a new modelling framework for the human musculoskeletal system.
The engineering-based model of an individual patient’s musculoskeletal makeup will be able to reduce soaring treatment costs for chronic bone disorders by predicting disease development and enabling better treatment. It will simultaneously capture processes at a cellular scale right up to the whole body.
The £6.7M Frontier Engineering grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) – awarded to the world leading and innovative INSIGNEO Institute – will improve treatments for diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Sir Andrew Cash, Chief Executive of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is probably the most sophisticated application of computing technology in healthcare today and Sheffield has become the UK’s main centre for this advancement in research, clinical diagnosis and care which will ultimately benefit patients across the world.”
Professor Damien Lacroix of the INSIGNEO Institute and the University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering said: “Our work in building accurate computer models of the human body that are tailored to each individual’s anatomy and physiology means that every patient receives treatment personally optimised to their detailed circumstances."
The engineering basis for INSIGNEO’s work means that techniques developed for one disease area can usually be migrated to other parts of the body, leading to the development of an integrated understanding of the body’s disease mechanisms.
The INSIGNEO Institute is a partnership between the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, an arrangement that provides the ideal balance of academic prowess and clinical excellence; developments are firmly rooted in the needs of patients, and outputs can be translated into clinical practice efficiently and quickly.
ENDS
