Ligament injuries are encountered frequently in clinical orthopedics. When left untreated, they often result in disabling instability of the synovial joint involved, which in turn often leads to degenerative joint disease. Optimal treatment of injured skeletal ligaments is dependent on the particular structure that is injured, the acute or chronic nature of the injury, and the patient and his/her activity level and age. Despite the wealth of clinical experience with the repair of ligament injuries and a large volume of experimental studies, the optimal treatment of ligament injury still requires a great deal of study, including development of appropriate experimental methodologies and animal models. Detailed analyses of healing ligament structure and function are needed to provide a more rational approach to the clinical management of all ligament pathologies. The factors that affect the outcome of the healing process are just beginning to be understood.

Angiogenesis, or the formation of new blood vessels, is a critical part of tissue growth and healing processes. It is well known that the endothelial cells that compose angiogenic microvessels are acutely sensitive to mechanical loading and boundary conditions, but the exact role of mechanics in angiogenesis is poorly understood. By elucidating the underlying mechanisms of this process, we hope to identify strategies for inducing, directing, and inhibiting the process of microvessel sprouting and elongation. Toward this end, we have developed computer models based on confocal image data with multiple fluorophores to elucidate the mechanisms behind angiogenic growth and interaction with the extracellular matrix.