Validation-Oriented Modelling of Electrical Stimulation Chambers for Cartilage Tissue Engineering

The capability of electrical stimulation to enhance cell activity, proliferation, and differentiation makes it an attractive method in cell-based therapies. Due to its biocompatibility, capacitive coupling has emerged as a favourable method to deliver electric fields to cartilaginous cells. Unfortunately, there exists no means to measure the electric field directly. It can solely be inferred from other measurement results. Nonetheless, numerical simulations by the finite element method provide a possibility to estimate the electric field distribution and magnitude. The experimental validation of numerical models, however, receives insufficient attention. This study aims to bridge the gap between theory and experiment by applying validation-oriented modelling. The impact of different uncertain input parameters on relevant observables was assessed to suggest validation experiments using uncertainty quantification. The estimated capacitance was found to be in excellent agreement with the experimental result, indicating that the model is accurate. However, the electric field remains uncertain since the electric field and capacitance are dependent upon different input parameters. The electric field is primarily determined by the conductivity of the medium. Hence, a more precise conductivity measurement will allow for more accurate computation of the electric field magnitude.