Journal of Theoretical Medicine
Volume 6 (2005), Issue 1, Pages 41-55
doi:10.1080/10273660412331336883

Bone Formation: Biological Aspects and Modelling Problems

Miguel A. Herrero1 and José M. López2

1Departamento de Matemática Aplicada, Facultad de Matemáticas, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain
2Departamento de Morfología y Biología Celular, Facultad de Medicina, IUOPA, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain

Received 26 October 2004; Accepted 2 December 2004

Copyright © 2005 Hindawi Publishing Corporation. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

In this work we succintly review the main features of bone formation in vertebrates. Out of the many aspects of this exceedingly complex process, some particular stages are selected for which mathematical modelling appears as both feasible and desirable. In this way, a number of open questions are formulated whose study seems to require interaction among mathematical analysis and biological experimentation.