Author: yvette mirabal

An opportunity for students to tackle and solve a design problem in bioengineering

Osteonexus

April 2006

“HPN produced a successful final design concept that has
made significant progress towards making space travel safer for astronauts on long-term missions.
— HPN Design Documentation

BIOENGINEERING DESIGN AT RICE

Rice University
Dept. of Bioengineering
6100 S, Main St. - MS142
Houston, TX 77005
Phone: 713-348-4156
Fax: 713-348-5877
E-mail: moden@rice.edu

Collaborating partners and/or mentors– find logos if possible. Some logos are on the side to help you…

List any team awards, citations, letters of commendation or grants received .

This initiative is made possible by Include funding agency and the Department of Bioengineering at Rice University.

Bioengineering Design Challenge
By 2030, NASA hopes to send a manned mission to Mars, a mission that would last approximately 2.5 years. Exposure to extended microgravity causes an average bone loss of 1-2% per month, exposing astronauts to increased risk of bone fractures. The current protocol for the treatment of bone fractures while on the International Space Station involves tending to the wound and splinting the area without correcting the fracture. Only if there is no pulse or sensation in the fractured area is a surgeon contacted for instructions on how to set the fracture. For a more extensive space mission, these procedures would not be adequate. A fracture would jeopardize the life of an astronaut and the objectives of a mission.
Appropriate Solution
Team High Performance Ninjas (HPN) of BIOE 451/452 designed the Osteonexus Microgravity Fracture Healing System to address the risk of bone fractures during long-term space travel. It is a system of devices that utilizes external fixation in conjunction with micromovement therapies. The micromovement component, the Osteonexus Active Dynamizer, uses external fixation to secure the fracture and motorized axial dynamization to induce micromovement at the fracture site. The applied micromovement mimics partial load bearing, which has been proven to accelerate fracture healing on Earth. Guidance and support was provided by Dr. Michael Liebschner, Dr. Maria Oden, Tara Ruttley, Joseph Gugenheim, Roman Skoracki, and Pia Denzmore.

Team Members:
Elaine Chan, Cynthia Chang, Alex Gordon, Eric Vu, Peter Yang

www.owlnet.rice.edu/~hpn

Rice University
Dept. of Bioengineering
6100 S, Main St. - MS142
Houston, TX 77005
Phone: 713-348-4156
Fax: 713-348-5877
E-mail: moden@rice.edu

BIOENGINEERING DESIGN AT RICE