Event Date
B.J. Fregly, Ph.D.
Professor and CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Rice University
ABSTRACT
Movement impairments caused by orthopedic and neurologic conditions affect roughly 15% of the U.S. adult population and often lead to an increased risk of serious health conditions (heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity) and a decreased quality of life. Neurorehabilitation and surgical interventions for movement impairments are typically designed using a “one size fits all” approach informed by subjective clinical experience. However, for many clinical situations (stroke neurorehabilitation, orthopedic cancer surgery), each patient is highly unique, creating the need for personalized interventions informed by objective data so as to maximize each patient’s functional outcome.
This seminar will discuss how the Rice Computational Neuromechanics Lab is seeking to use patient-specific neuromusculoskeletal models to design novel and effective personalized treatments for movement impairments. After motivating the potential value of model-based personalized treatment design, the seminar will provide a historical perspective on the lab’s efforts to make this vision a reality. For past efforts, I will discuss computational design of a modified gait pattern to unload the medial compartment of the knee in an individual with medial knee osteoarthritis. For present efforts, I will discuss expansion and evaluation of our computational modeling process with a sample application involving computational design of a FastFES treatment protocol to improve paretic propulsion in an individual post-stroke. For future efforts, I will discuss how patient-specific muscle synergy information could be used to personalize stroke neuro-rehabilitation interventions and predict the functional outcome of pelvic sarcoma surgery.
BIO
B.J. Fregly received his Bachelor's degree from Princeton University (1986) and his Masters and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University (1987 and 1993) in Mechanical Engineering. Following a year of post-doctoral research in France at the University of Lyon (1993-1994), Dr. Fregly worked as a software developer in Silicon Valley for Rasna/Parametric Technology Corporation (1995-1999). From 1999 to 2017, he served on the faculty of the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at the University of Florida, where he was a Knox T. Millsaps Professor, a University of Florida Research Foundation Professor, and the recipient of department and college Teacher of the Year awards. In August of 2017, Dr. Fregly joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Rice University as a Professor and CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research. His research focuses on modeling, simulation, and optimization of the human neuromusculoskeletal system to optimize the treatment of movement impairments. He has been the PI on over $11 million in research funding from NSF (including a CAREER Award), NIH, NASA, and most recently the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). His CPRIT project involves the design of customized surgical plans and 3D printed pelvic implants that maximize post-surgery walking ability in individuals with a pelvic sarcoma.
Faculty host: Carolynn Patten, PhD, Professor, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation