Jeff Hubbell received his B.S. from Kansas State University and Ph.D. from Rice University. He received the Presidential Young Investigattor Award (1990); W. J. Kolff Award, American Society for Artificial Internal Organs (1992). Member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Chemical Society, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Heart Association, Society for Biomaterials, and Society for Neuroscience.
Our research is aonthe interface of materials science and biology. We focus on developing new technologies for medical therapy. There are three general areas of investigation: development of new polymers for medical devices, design of materials for the manipulation of tissue morphogenesis, and replacement of systemic pharmacological treatment of disease with local pharmacological treatments of with direct, local, nonpharmacological treatments. Research in new materials for medical devices has focused upon the control of tissue interactions with materials by the incorporation of synthetic signal molecules based on biological structures. A specific example of interest is materials containing immobilized adhesion factors for use as synthetic vascular grafts, which would promote coverage of the graft with desirable blood vessel wall cells while preventing thrombosis and blood clotting.
Specific biological signals are involved in tissue growth, ell the regeneration of a severed peripheral nerve. In many cases of e.g. cell migration occurs through a three-dimensional protein matrix containing these signal molecules; in the case of peripheral nerve regeneration, this matrix is typically a protein hydrogel composed of fibrin. We are developing synthetic materials to mimic this matrix, where specific signals can be released from or bound within a synthetic matrix material that is degraded upon demand by cellular activities.
Our third area of research activity involves the treatment of disease with local interventions. Many pathological conditions of disease are expressed locally, and our efforts have been directed toward localized interventions, to avoid systemic side effects. We are also investigating nonpharmacological localized interventions. An example is in the control of vascular healing after surgical or catheter-based treatment of coronary artery disease. To prevent the formation of scar-like tissue within the treated blood vessels, which frequently requires additional treatment, we are investigating the use of degradable polymeric barriers to control cell deposition and migration within blood vessels after intervention.
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