National Synchrotron Light Source Symposium

The structure of bone has been studied for many decades using scattering, diffraction, microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. However, no consensus has been reached on many aspects of its superstructural organization on a nanoscopic length scale. The structure of bone is not only interesting from a fundamental viewpoint, but a better understanding could also help to find new pathways to cure bone-related diseases. In the present study, the structure of bone as a collagen-mineral composite and its development with varying degree of mineralization are investigated using combined synchrotron SAXS and WAXD techniques. Intramuscular herring bone was chosen for its well-defined structure and orientation, and for its variation of the degree of mineralization over its length. Our goal is to extract all inherent information from the scattering data with respect to longitudinal density projections, lateral collagen organization, and mineral crystal shape, distribution and correlation, in all cases as a function of the degree of mineralization. In order to achieve this goal, we have developed new analysis techniques that go well beyond existing approaches, by taking preferred orientation and other effects rigorously into account. The present state of this work in progress and its future directions will be discussed.