Buddy D. Ratner
Professor of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering
Contact Information
| 484 Bagley Box 351720 Seattle, WA 98195-1720 |
Phone: 206-685-1005 Fax: 206-616-9763 E-mail: ratner@uweb.engr.washington.edu |
Education
B.S., Brooklyn College, 1967.
Ph.D., Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, 1972.
For more information, please see the Ratner Home Department Page.
Research Interests
- Biointerface synthesis, modification and characterization
- Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
- Synthesis and characterization of polymeric biomaterials
- Healing, inflammation
The technological applications of biology at surfaces (biomaterials, biocompatibility, polymers, surface engineering, self-assembly, molecular recognition)
The focus of my research is on exploiting biology and specific biological recognition mechanisms in order to develop a new generation of biomaterials for medical implants that heal naturally in the body and/or lead to the regeneration of tissue. The concept of working with biology and biological recognition opens interdisciplinary pathways for exploration: surface analysis, surface engineering, materials science, biology, and medicine, just to name a few. My two primary research/education programs, University of Washington Engineered Biomaterials (UWEB, an NSF Engineering Research Center) and BioEngineered Autologous Tissue (BEAT, an NIH Bioengineering Research Partnership grant) are the platforms providing resources and direction for the research objectives.
Medical devices are a $100 billion+ industry that saves lives and improves the quality of life for millions. Most implanted medical devices are seen by the body as foreign objects. Coming up with biomaterials that trigger a natural healing process, in contrast to the encapsulation response seen today, requires strategic, multidisciplinary research. UWEB brings together a team of materials scientists, molecular biologists, biomolecular engineers, biomaterials researchers, bioengineers, physicians, and industry leaders to work on sharply focused hypotheses aimed at getting better biomaterials to market. Cross-disciplinary subgroups work together within three main research thrusts: materials science, fundamental biology, and pre-clinical testing. The BEAT program, a ten year effort to develop a living heart ventricle, takes us into the realm of tissue engineering. In BEAT and UWEB, my students explore novel surfaces, porous materials, molecular recognition, surface modification, surface analysis, controlled release, inflammation, biocompatibility, and cell-material interactions.
Recent, Relevant Papers
Shi, H.; Tsai, W.-B.; Ferrari, S; Ratner, B.D. (1998), Template imprinted nanostructural surfaces for protein recognition, Nature 398, 593-597.
Kyriakides, T.R.; Leach, K.J.; Hoffman, A.S.; Ratner, B.D.; and Bornstein, P., "Mice that lack the angiogenesis inhibitor, thrombospondin 2, mount an altered foreign body reaction characterized by increased vascularity," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96, 1-6 (1999).
Mar, M.N.; Ratner, B.D.; and Yee, S.S., "An intrinsically protein-resistant surface plasmon resonance biosensor based upon a RF-plasma-deposited thin film," Sensors and Actuators B 54, 125-131 (1999).
Kwok, C.S.; Wan, C.; Hendricks, S.; Bryers, J.D.; Horbett, T.A.; and Ratner, B.D., "Design of infection-resistant antibiotic-releasing polymers: I. Fabrication and formulation," J. Controlled Release 62, 289-299 (1999).
Kwok, C.S.; Mourad, P.D.; Crum, L.A.; and Ratner, B.D., "Surface modification of polymers with self-assembled molecular structures: multitechnique surface characterization," Biomacromolecules 1(1), 139-148 (2000).
Garrison, M.D.; Luginbuhl, R.; Overney, R.M.; and Ratner, B.D., "Glow discharge plasma deposited hexafluoropropylene films: surface chemistry and interfacial materials properties," Thin Solid Films 352, 13-21 (1998).
Recent M.S. Theses
Recent Ph.D. Dissertations
