Musculoskeletal Tissue Modeling Laboratory
Dr. Mark Palmer
1271D CCRB
401 Washtenaw Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2013
Phone: (734) 615-7587
Overview
Dr. Palmer is a biomechanist whose research interests focus on the transfer of forces in musculoskeletal tissues. Currently his research focuses on developing a multilevel computational model of human skeletal muscle to elucidate the genesis and propagation of injury. He is also particularly interested in how changes in the mechanical environment of skeletal muscle tissue secondary to training, aging, genetic alteration, and disease affect functionality and susceptibility to injury. The goal of his research is to provide an integrative framework for coupling computational and experimental techniques for the purpose of developing effective interventions to improve musculoskeletal health and performance.
Research Themes: Adaptation, computational modeling, mechanisms of injury, musculoskeletal health and performance.
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Approaches
Dr. Palmer utilizes a combination of physiological measurements coupled with computational modeling techniques, diagnostic medical imaging, cadaveric modeling, histology and electron microscopy to gain insights into the mechanisms of injury and adaptation across multiple levels of the structural hierarchy of musculoskeletal tissues. The laboratory contains a massively parallel, mini-supercomputer cluster running state-of-the-art computational modeling and visualization tools.
Current and Past Funding Sources: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, Merck, U-M Rackham, U-M Kinesiology.
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Research Impact
Musculoskeletal tissues serve an essential mechanical role allowing us to effectively interact with our environment.
Experiments that evaluate tissue mechanics across multiple organizational levels are difficult or impossible to perform. Computational modeling provides a method to evaluate hypotheses in silica as well as integrate results from experiments across multiple levels within a tissue.
By understanding the impact of exercise, injury, aging and disease from the level of the whole body to the level of cells and proteins, we can more effectively formulate and prescribe interventions to improve recovery, performance, functional independence, and quality of life.
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Personnel
Faculty:
Dr. Mark Palmer (mlpalmer@umich.edu), Director
Collaborators:
James Ashton-Miller, Ph.D.
Albert Schultz Collegiate Research Professor
Distinguished Research Professor, COE
Research Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Research Professor, Institute of Gerontology
Research Professor, Internal Medicine
Research Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Dennis Claflin, Ph.D.
Assistant Research Scientist, Plastic Surgery Section
Assistant Research Scientist, Surgery Department
John Faulkner, Ph.D.
Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Professor, Physiology Department
Senior Research Scientist, Institute of Gerontology
Scott Hollister, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Surgery with tenure, Medical School
Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Allan Wineman, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
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