The first IST Distinguished Lecture of 2024 was given by Markus A. Wimmer on January 9, with the title “Articular Cartilage Shear and Tensile Properties in the Context of Tissue Wear”, which analysed an approach to the study of osteoarthritis through the mechanical properties of cartilage.
Markus A. Wimmer is Grainger Director of the Rush Arthritis and Orthopedics Institute in Chicago. “My research focuses on osteoarthritis”, he explained in an interview given before the start of his lecture. The Associate Chairman for Research in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Rush University Medical Center explained that osteoarthritis is “a degenerative joint disease that is painful for the patient”. As an engineer, he found an aspect of this problem that he could explore – “while in the past there has been a lot of focus on the lubrication of cartilage, few have concentrated on its mechanisms”, and that’s what he focused on.
“In the last 20 years, people have realised that this is a very complex process and that talking about osteoarthritis involves the whole organ”, he explained. That’s why, in his opinion, the study of the tissue itself has slowed down. “I do believe that some questions have not been fully explored and today we have the tools to do more if we revisit what has already been done”, he says. This is where comes in his “mechanical approach” to a subject that is typically studied “from a biochemical point of view”.
Markus A. Wimmer reports that, with today’s technologies, it is possible to achieve a higher level of precision than in the past. “I deal with issues that may have been addressed before, but now I can do it on a smaller scale and analyse the differences [between the two approaches],” he said. “I’m going to investigate different regions of cartilage and see the differences there.”
This study has been going on for about five years, but its foundation “was laid 20 years ago”. Given the longevity of his career, Wimmer agreed to leave a suggestion for those who are now taking the first steps in their studies of this disease – “in this area, I think a lot of questions come back to us; they’re cyclical”. “If you’re interested in something, don’t give up. Even if you’re told it doesn’t matter anymore, it will almost certainly come back to you at some point”, he added. However, his career didn’t start with the study of cartilage. “My actual field of expertise was joint biomechanics and materials engineering. I analysed cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloys, corrosion, tribocorrosion… cartilage is something more recent”, he explained.
As for the highlights of his time in Portugal, Wimmer says – “the food! The food is certainly a highlight here [laughs]”.
This event is part of the ‘American Corner@Técnico’.
