A Computational Approach to Individual Cell-Based Decision Algorithms Involved in Bone Remodeling

Abstract

This work is concerned with bone remodeling, an intriguing and efficient biological process that ensures the optimal compliance of the human skeleton by screening and replacing any single piece of it on a recursive basis. We propose here that a class of algorithms, which are simple enough to be implemented at an individual cell level, suffices to account for the two main features of such homeostatic process: thorough screening of the whole skeleton on the one hand and destruction and subsequent replacement of any single bone piece on the other. This last process is accomplished at a microscopic scale by special groups of cells, assembled for that purpose, called Bone Multicellular Units (BMUs). Moreover, it is shown that the algorithms proposed are robust, i.e, they remain functional in a wide range of biomechanical environments, thus allowing for different remodeling rates at different places.