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Scientific theme and general objectives

BiomécaMot aims to bring together within TIMC the stakeholders (researchers, professors, clinicians) in the biomechanics of living tissues and materials for living organisms, as well as in human movement. The research projects of the team lie at the interface between materials science, human movement sciences, health sciences, and computer sciences with research objectives that are both fundamental and translational. The biomechanical activities conducted by the researchers in this team primarily serve applied purposes (clinical assistance and design of medical devices for living organisms).

We conduct research on materials for living organisms and biological tissues (soft tissues, cartilage, bone structures), involving experimental aspects (material characterization, in vivo or post-mortem tissue measurements), theoretical aspects (modeling the behavior of biological tissues and structured materials), and computational aspects (numerical simulation, creation of digital twins).

We are also dedicated to research and development of advanced solutions for the analysis of human movement. We combine the latest technological advances to understand, diagnose, and treat motor disorders in various population groups (e.g., amputee patients, patients with knee prostheses, children with scoliosis, children with cerebral palsy, etc.).


The strength of the team lies in its ability to link all these themes within a single scientific project.


Two technical platforms are associated with the team:
bullet The MécaX technical platform allows for a range of experimental measurements on biological (ex vivo or in vivo) or biocompatible/biomimetic materials to measure their mechanical properties. Testing devices range from very traditional mechanical tests to devices designed and developed by our team. This enables us to best meet the needs of mechanical characterizations.
bullet The motion analysis technical platform (LAGAME: Grenoble Laboratory for Gait Analysis) deployed within the lab and at the CHU's child hospital site.

Research topics

The main research axes are:


bullet Experimental characterization, both ex vivo and in vivo, of the behavior laws of living tissues and materials for living organisms.
bullet Proposal of new behavior laws adapted to the tissues and materials studied, with a constant concern to offer laws whose parameters can be experimentally characterized.
bullet Numerical simulation of living tissues and materials for living organisms, taking into account patient-specific anatomy and proposing solutions for routine clinical use (generation of patient-specific models, acceleration of calculations via model reduction techniques).
bullet Translation to clinical practice, with patient evaluations through clinical studies.
bullet Identification of motor signatures of health through the study of biomechanical, sensorimotor, and cognitive markers. These researches are primarily based on behavioral studies of individuals in motion, using indirect indicators such as kinematic and kinetic analysis of motor coordination, electromyography of involved muscles, analysis of attentional load related to the cost of posture and/or movement regulation, neuroimaging, or electroencephalographic activity.

 

recherche image 1   bioméca image 6   recherche image 2


Figure 1 : Ex vivo (left) and in vivo (center) characterization of lingual soft tissue.
Characterization of the vascular wall (right) from intravascular ultrasound sequences.

 

Research projects

Prévention Ulcères Pied

Responsable(s) : Yohan PAYAN
Contrat : Projet International de Coopération Scientifique (PICS) France-Israël - CNRS - [1970]

Projet FOTONG

Responsable(s) : Yohan PAYAN
Contrat : Projet IdEx Sorbonne Universités - UNIVERSITE GRENOBLE ALPES - [2017]
Fossil tongues − FOTONG

Projet PICS Prévention Ulcères

Responsable(s) : Yohan PAYAN
Contrat : Projet International de Coopération Scientifique (PICS) France-Israël - CNRS - [2017]
Prévention des ulcères du pied diabétique

Projet biomécanique et tissus mous

Responsable(s) : Yohan PAYAN
Contrat : Programme Hubert Curien France - Nouvelle-Zélande (Campus France) - UNIVERSITE GRENOBLE ALPES - [2017]
Modélisation biomécanique des tissus mous du sein pour une assistance à la chirurgie

Projet Imagerie et génération de modèles biomécaniques

Responsable(s) : Yohan PAYAN
Contrat : Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM) - UNIVERSITE GRENOBLE ALPES - [2016]
Imagerie pour la génération de modèles biomécaniques personnalisés de la jambe : applications à l’arthrodèse de cheville et à l’ostéotomie tibiale

Convention CHU Nantes

Responsable(s) : Yohan PAYAN
Contrat : Convention Reversement CHU Nantes - UNIVERSITE GRENOBLE ALPES - [2013-2017]
Étude préliminaire en vue de la prévention des escarres à l'aide d'un dispositif embarqué.

 

Team members
Presentation of team members (introductory sentence)

The BiomécaMot team is co-directed by Grégory Chagnon and Estelle Palluel.

Team coordinator(s)

Permanent members

Others members

PhD students

Thesis

Les thèses en cours dans notre équipe :

  • Benoît GAULIN : "Analyse de l'influence du positionnement personnalisé d'implants dans l'arthroplastie de genou par analyse quantifiée du mouvement et modélisation biomécanique. " (framed by Estelle PALLUEL )
  • Clément HORTEUR : "Intérêt de la planification et modélisation pré-opératoire sur jumeau numérique pour le choix des critères d'implantation d'une prothèse totale de genou " (framed by Yohan PAYAN )
  • Marie Charlotte PICARD : "Modélisation biomécanique du visage humain pour l'assistance chirurgicale. " (framed by Yohan PAYAN )
  • Vianney POIRON : "VELIS augmenté " (framed by Pierre Yves GUMERY )
Platforms - Resources
Health, Plasticity, Motricity platform
   
  

  • 32-channel data acquisition system (A/D 12 bit) + 32 I/O digital, wireless

 spm 1  
 

  • Kinematic analysis
    of 3D wireless motion

    • Opto-electronic system (optotrak + codamotion)
    • Accelerometers
    • 3D video system
    • Goniometers
    • 9-channel inertial units

 

 spm 2    
spm 4    spm 3
 
spm 6
 

  • Surface electromyography

 spm 5  
 

  • 128 channels EEG

 spm 7  
 

  • Force platforms
    (static and dynamic)

 spm 8  
 

  • Walking mats Gaitrite

 spm 9  
 

  • Treadmill

    
       
 

  • Sensors and other devices:
    strain gauges, ground contacts, tendon vibrators, etc.

 spm 10  

 

Primary collaborations and grants

The mechanical behavior of human organs and soft tissues is often very complex, since it is non-linear, time-varying, active, non-homogeneous and anisotropic. Any experimental mechanical characterization of such tissues (and even of materials interacting with these tissues) relies on behavioral models that best take into account this mechanical/geometrical/physical complexity. The researchers of the Biomeca-TIMC team determine behavioral laws (hyperelastic, viscoelastic, plastic or poroelastic) able to mimic the deformations undergone by human tissues and/or materials interacting with these tissues. We also propose original models for active tissues (e.g. muscle activation in interaction with bone segments, deformation of active organs such as the heart, the tongue or facial soft tissues).

The models developed are multi-scale (time and space) and multi-process (chemistry, cells, tissues, mechanics of continuous media). Their coupling with the environment can be done via equivalent boundary conditions (representative elementary volumes) to limit the complexity of the model itself. The team collaborates with several clinical services, with laboratories of chemistry, materials and biomechanics, as well as with industrial companies (startups and large groups).

Biomeca image 3
 		 bioméca image 4

Figure 2 : Numerical simulations of breast deformations (left) and atherosclerotic plaques (right)

 

Valorisation

Impact

  • Positioning within the biomechanics community: Y. Payan (2012) and J. Ohayon (2016) recipients of the Society of Biomechanics (SB) Senior Award; J. Ohayon past president of the SB; Y. Payan associate editor of the journal Clinical Biomechanics from 2020; J. Ohayon and Y. Payan editors of the series Biomechanics of Living Organs published by Elsevier (from 2017).
  • International partnerships: UK, Iran, Canada, USA, Spain, Netherlands, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Israel.
  • Wide spectrum of tissues modeled: cell, coronary vessels, muscles, fat, brain, face, tongue, breast, lungs, heart, liver, intestines, buttocks, prostate, urethra, knee, spine and foot.
     

Clinical and industrial valorization

The clinical and industrial valorization of the results is also a central objective of the team.

The researchers already have important collaborations with several clinical services in France and abroad, and in particular a privileged partnership with the Laboratory of Anatomy of the University Hospital of Grenoble.

Industrial valorization is achieved through the filing of patents (4 patents filed over the period 2014-219), industrial contracts (General Electric, ANSYS, Sinclair, Anatoscope, Uromems, Demeure Orthopédie) and transfers via the pre-maturation of the Institut CARNOT LSI (CARDIO and IFEM projects), maturation in SATT (IPAV project) and the creation of startups (Texisense and TwinSight).

In addition,

  • National Research Agency program: Technology Enhanced Learning Environment for Orthopaedic Surgery, 2007-2010.
  • ENVEHO funding for the development of clothes more adapted to children walk.
  • PHRC-IP for the recording of pressure variations at the interface between the stump and socket in above-knee amputees.
  • Crédit Impôt Recherche – Chabloz Orthopédie for the development of innovative corsets.

 

Contact

Gregory.Chagnon@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr - Estelle.Palluel@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr
Phone: 04 56 52 00 86 - 04 76 63 74 91
Address: TIMC, Site Santé, Pavillon Taillefer, Rond-Point de la Croix de Vie, 38700 La Tronche
Address: Faculté de Médecine de Grenoble, Bâtiment Jean Roget, 38706 La Tronche