• Mathematical biology
• Mathematical modelling
• In silico medicine
• Computational biology
• Computational biomechanics
• Bone fracture healing
• Tissue engineering

Outside her research, she is also very interested in other topics such as epidemiology, reproductive and pregnancy modelling, and education and science dissemination.

Regarding science outreach, she is part of the Student committee of the European Society of Biomechanics and manager of the Biomech research unit website.

Bone tissue engineering (TE) uses a combination of cells, biomaterials and growth factors for the treatment of large bone defects, meaning that we have several processes occurring at tissue, cell and intracellular levels together. In order to understand them and be able to predict their behavior, multiscale mathematical models can be used. So far some successful results have been published, but bone TE still suffers from unpredictable and qualitatively inferior results. In this thesis we will combine a detailed description of a biomaterial behavior in vivo with an in silico model of the biological response to said biomaterial, with the aim to generate an enhanced bioregulatory model which can predict highly qualitative TE solutions.

• PhD candidate in Engineering Science (Mechanical Engineering)
  Biomechanics section at KU Leuven, Belgium
  Since May 2019

 

• M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering, 2019
  University of Zaragoza, Spain
  Specialization: Advanced Biomechanics and Biomaterials
  Thesis: “Where shall I go? The mechanosening adventures of a computational single cell”
  Erasmus exchange (2018-2019): KU Leuven, Belgium

 

• B.Sc. in Mathematics, 2017
  University of Zaragoza, Spain
  Thesis: “Mathematical study of the disease diffusion”
  Erasmus exchange (2016-2017): TU München, Germany

List of publications

laura.lafuentegracia [at] kuleuven.be

Biomechanics Section
Celestijnenlaan 300 – box 2419
3001 Leuven (Belgium)
Room: 04.210

Orcid

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News about Laura on our website

The role of anatomical location in scaffold-induced healing of craniofacial bone defects, presented at the 28th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB) in Maastricht, The Netherlands on 9-12 July 2023.

ESB 2023 materials: Abstract | Presentation | Video coming soon

 

Modelling bone regeneration in craniofacial bone defects, presented at the byteMAL Conference in Aachen, Germany on 23 May 2023.

byteMAL 2023 materials: Abstract | Flash talk | Poster | Equations (supp. material)

 

Modelling bone regeneration in craniofacial bone defects in 3D, presented at the 12th European Conference on Mathematical and Theoretical Biology (ECMTB) in Heidelberg, Germany on 19-23 September 2022.

ECMTB 2022 materials: Abstract | Poster | Equations (supp. material)

 

A 3D in silico model of fracture healing to investigate craniofacial bone defects, presented at the Virtual Physiological Human (VPH) conference in Porto, Portugal on 6-9 September 2022.

VPH 2022 materials: Abstract | Presentation | Video coming soon

 

Towards an open-source bioregulatory 3D model of bone fracture healing in FreeFEM, presented at the 9th World Congress of Biomechanics (WCB) in Taipei, Taiwan on 10-14 July 2022 (online).

WCB 2022 materials: Abstract | ePoster | Video coming soon

 

Towards an in silico bioregulatory model of osteogenesis and sprouting angiogenesis in 3D, presented at the 27th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB) in Porto, Portugal on 26-29 June 2022.

ESB 2022 materials: Abstract | Presentation | Video coming soon

 

Large skeletal defects and how to heal them: in silico modeling of the influence of a bioengineered periosteal membrane on bone regeneration, presented at the 6th World Congress of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) in Maastricht, The Netherlands on 15-19 November 2021 (online).

TERMIS 2021 materials: Abstract | Poster | Teaser video

 

Wrap me up and let me heal: in silico modeling of bone regeneration using a bioengineered periosteal membrane, presented at the 26th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB) in Milan, Italy on 11-14 July 2021 (online).

ESB 2021 materials: Abstract | Presentation | Video

 

A membrane to heal them all: in silico modeling of the influence of initial and boundary conditions on bone regeneration, presented at the VPH2020 conference (Virtual Physiological Human) in Paris, France on 24-28 August 2020 (online).

VPH 2020 materials: Abstract | Presentation