Jeffry S. Nyman, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Bone Mechanics, 2003-2006, University of Texas at San Antonio
Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering, 2003, University of California, Davis
M.S. Mechanical Engineering, 1998, The University of Memphis
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 1996, The University of Memphis
Background
I joined the Vanderbilt Center for Bone Biology in the summer of 2006 moving from San Antonio with Dr. G. Mundy and colleagues. While in San Antonio (2003-2006), I worked in the lab of Dr. Xiaodu Wang investigating determinants that could explain the age-related decrease in the post-yield toughness of human cortical bone. Prior to my time as a postdoctoral fellow, I investigated how bone adapts from a mechanical perspective to orthopaedic implants and drug treatments using finite element analysis and an algorithm for bone remodeling. All these experiences including my transition from research instructor to independent investigator influenced my current research endeavors.
Complete Bibliography
Selected Publications (Since 2019)
Research Information
The goals of my research are to lower the number of bone fractures associated with osteoporosis, diabetes, cancer, genetic diseases, and aging and to prevent delays in union (or non-union) when fractures do occur in patients with these co-morbidities. Towards that end, my lab investigates ways to improve the clinical assessment of fracture risk, to identify regulators of bone toughness (lack of brittleness), and to identify the factors that delay fracture healing. Specifically, there are active projects i) to figure out why individuals with type 2 diabetes are at higher-than-normal risk of a fragility fracture, ii) to identify the determinants of matrix-bound water, iii) to translate Raman Spectroscopy for clinical assessment of bone matrix quality, iv) to understand the mechanisms of poor bone accrual in type 1 diabetes, v) to determine which bone assessment tool to translate for diagnosing NF1 bone dysplasia, and vi) to understand the relationships between the rigidity-&-locking of intramedullary nails and rate of fracture hailing with respect to patient biology. These projects are done in collaboration with the following professors: i) Beth Rendina-Ruedy (Medicine/Clin Pharm) and Paul Voziyan (Medicine/Nephrology), ii) Mark Does (BME) and Paul Voziyan (Medicine/Nephrology), iii) Anita Mahadevan-Jansen (BME), iv) John Fowlkes (Endocrinology at University of Kentucky), v) Florent Elefteriou (Ortho at Baylor College of Medicine), and vi) Jonathan Schoenecker (Ortho).
Techniques
Available at the Orthopaedics Biomechanics Lab
- Mechanical testing of bone
- Monotonic: tension, compression, flexure, torsion
- Fatigue: flexure, compression
- Cyclic reference point microindentation
- Metalluragic preparation of bone samples
- Circular saws with diamond-embedded wafering blades
- Band saws with steel and diamond-embedded blades
- Grinder and polisher
Other available techniques
- Finite element analysis
- Computer-aided design
- Micro-computed tomography
- Raman micro-spectroscopy
- 1H NMR Relaxometry
