Mechanical stability is the most important requirement for the successful treatment of fractures. The
treatment of complicated fractures (e.g., due to osteoporosis) is not sufficiently resolved and is
associated with alarmingly high rates of morbidity or mortality. There is a clear difference between the
fracture stability due to implant treatment in the experiment and its real performance in fracture care
in the patient. One reason for these differences is the lack of consideration of population-specific
factors such as gender, age and ethnicity, and thus the associated different anatomy, geometry,
structure and material properties of human bones. A recommendation for a given implant or the
development of new or improved implant designs requires preclinical assessment of mechanical
performance through biomechanical testing. One of the most important considerations in such a test
is the substrate in which the implant is being tested. The substrate should mimic the conditions of
living human bone as realistically as possible. For this purpose, mainly human donor bones or plastic
bones are used. While human bones are expensive, barely available, and potentially infectious, plastic
bones from world market leaders are barely able to mimic the mechanical properties of human bones.
The aim of this research project is therefore to identify population-specific factors that are relevant for
biomechanical implant testing. These factors are then integrated into artificial bone models to provide
scientific evidence for optimal anatomical reconstruction for fracture treatment with implants.
In summary, bone models for specific orthopedic issues are adapted to the needs of the population
and used for the development and validation of implants. Thus, a scientifically sound treatment
recommendation for fractures should be able to be pronounced.