A Temperature Regulated Knee Brace for Circadian Rhythm Synchronization

Presenter: Camille Elizabeth Lobik

Group Members: Anika Simonoff

Faculty Sponsor: Cathal J. Kearney

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Engineering

Session: Poster Session 6, 4:15 PM - 5:00 PM, 163, C7

ABSTRACT

Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles that influence nearly every cell in the body and their functions. These include sleep-wake cycles, as well as processes such as metabolism, body temperature, hormone production and more. When circadian rhythms get out of synchronization (dysregulation) it has been shown to lead to disease development. One such disease is osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease, that affects over 500 million people worldwide.. In patients with knee osteoarthritis, cartilage cells in the knee (chondrocytes) exhibit malfunctioning circadian rhythms. Recent research suggests that applying therapies such as a targeted temperature application for a timed duration may help to restore circadian regulation in these chondrocytes. Our team is engineering a knee brace device designed to deliver targeted heat shock directly to degenerating cartilage in the knee with the goal of slowing the progression of osteoarthritis by resynchronizing dysregulated circadian rhythms. While existing knee brace technology utilizes temperature therapy to alleviate symptoms of osteoarthritis, this brace would directly target an underlying cause of cartilage degeneration, relieving personal and economic strain on millions of patients and healthcare workers.

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