Bone Biology and Mechanics Lab: BBML

Welcome to the BBML at the Indianapolis location of the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University. The BBML is committed to improving our understanding of how the body works through innovative preclinical and clinical research. As our name implies, the lab focuses on bone mechanics (ability to effectively bear loads) and mechanobiology (how cells respond to mechanical stimuli to maintain and/or increase bone mass). We investigate bone from mechanical engineering and materials science perspectives by tying morphology and composition to mechanical function and fracture resistance at discrete length scales throughout bone's hierarchy.

Bone Hierarchy



Our long-term goal is to use combinatorial treatments for a number of relevant diseases that have musculoskeletal complications which lead to bone fragility and fracture. Our current focus is on mechanical and pharmaceutical manipulations of bone quality and quantity to intervene and increase bone fracture resistance even in the face of inferior tissue quality. A common thread that passes through all of our research is an intense focus on collagen and the role it plays in bone health. Our research is currently funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). Full funding details can be found here and information about these grants is also available in the research tab.

Lab Intro

Recent Lab News

April 2026 saw mutliple accolades for members of the lab. Olivia earned a Teaching Award from the Purdue College of Engineering. Prof. Wallace was selected for the Outstanding Facutly Mentor Award (also from the College of Engineering) and he was also inducted as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). Congratulations!

Congrats to Maria for her poster presentation at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society in Charlotte.

With summer approaching, there will be multiple new faces in the lab including Ava Fuchs, a rising Junior in the Purdue BME program.

Not directly related to BBML, October 2025 saw the launch of the Purdue Cneter of Musculoskeletal Engineering with Prof. Wallace as its inaugural Director. PCME will link the best and brightest minds at Purdue with the broader Musculoskeletal Health Ecosystem in Indiana, including the Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health in the IU School of Medicine. A formal launch event happened in March 2026. More to come soon!

The BBML is actively looking for highly motivated graduate students and postdoctoral candidates with a solid background in musculoskeletal biomechanics to take the lead on one of several funded projects from the NSF, VA, or NIH. Ideally, the candiates will have experience with in vivo experiments and working as a mentor of students in a research setting. Please click here for information on how to become a part of our team.

Archived News Items

Recent Research

Research

A variety of research endeavors are currently underway in the BBML. Our work focuses predominantly on bone, muscle and tendon. Click below to learn more about the general areas of research.

BBML People

BBML People

Click below to learn more about the people in our lab who make all of this exciting work possible.



Recent Publication

Publications

Our lab actively publishes in journals spanning the areas of bone and mineral and general biomechanics. To view of list of our publications, click the link below.

How to connect with the BBML: