Public profile
Biography
Dr. Fregly's research focuses on the modeling, simulation, and optimization of the human neuromusculoskeletal system to design personalized clinical treatments for movement disorders caused by stroke, osteoarthritis, cancer, and Parkinson's disease. Unique aspects of his research program include integration of modeling methods for both the human musculoskeletal system and the human neural control system, calibration of patient-specific neuromusculoskeletal models using patient movement and imaging data, prediction of post-treatment patient function for different treatment scenarios under consideration, and validation of model predictions using experimental data to support model use for clinical treatment planning. The primary technical skills required for these research efforts include multibody dynamics, numerical methods (especially optimization), contact mechanics, and computer programming (mainly Matlab and C++). While Dr. Fregly's past research has focused on developing neurorehabilitation treatments for walking impairments, his future research is expanding to include surgical treatments for walking impairments and robotic rehabilitation treatments for upper extremity impairments. Dr. Fregly's primary collaborators within the department include Drs. Marcia O'Malley, Fred Higgs, Ed Akin, and Matthew Brake. Collaborators in the Texas Medical Center include clinicians and researchers from the Department of Orthopaedic Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at UT Health, and the NeuroRecovery Research Center at TIRR Memorial Hermann.
Research areas
Development and optimization of patient-specific computational neuromusculoskeletal models to: 1) Design personalized orthopedic cancer surgeries that maximize post-surgery walking function. 2) Design personalized robotic neurorehabilition treatments that maximize recovery of arm function for individuals post-stroke. 3) Predict achievable improvements in walking function, and how to elicit them, for individuals post-stroke. 4) Design personalized exoskeleton passive and active control systems that maximize walking function for individuals with spinal cord injury.