  In this paper we develop a lattice-based computational model focused on bone
resorption by osteoclasts in a single cortical basic multicellular unit (BMU).
Our model takes into account the interaction of osteoclasts with the bone
matrix, the interaction of osteoclasts with each other, the generation of
osteoclasts from a growing blood vessel, and the renewal of osteoclast nuclei
by cell fusion. All these features are shown to strongly influence the
geometrical properties of the developing resorption cavity including its size,
shape and progression rate, and are also shown to influence the distribution,
resorption pattern and trajectories of individual osteoclasts within the BMU.
We demonstrate that for certain parameter combinations, resorption cavity
shapes can be recovered from the computational model that closely resemble
resorption cavity shapes observed from microCT imaging of human cortical bone.

Tissues and Organs;Biological Physics;Medical Physics;Cell Behavior