Research Faculty

Donald Ingber, MD, PhD

   Department Vascular Biology Program
   Hospital Title Senior Associate
in Pathology and Surgery
   Academic Title Judah Folkman Professor
in Vascular Biology
   Phone 617-919-2223
   Fax 617-730-0230
   Email Donald Ingber
   Location 300 Longwood Avenue
Karp-11
Boston MA 02115

Research Overview

Donald Ingber is interested in how cell structure and mechanics impact cellular biochemistry and tissue development. His research approach has combined techniques from various fields, including molecular cell biology, engineering, chemistry, physics, and computer science.

Ingber's angiogenesis research focuses on how the shape of a vascular blood vessel cell and the physical properties of its environment influence whether the cell grows, produces specialized products, moves, or dies. Through these efforts, Ingber has made pioneering contributions to the fields of angiogenesis, tissue engineering, mechanobiology, and systems biology. His work on how blood vessels form also led to the development of TNP-470, one of the first angiogenesis inhibitors to enter clinical trials.

About Donald Ingber

Dr. Ingber simultaneously received his MD and PhD from Yale University. He was the Anna Fuller Research Fellow at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School.

He is credited on over 20 patents which cover technologies ranging from new cancer drugs and drug-screening assays to medical devices, micromanufacturing techniques, and computer software.

Dr. Ingber is also the founding director of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.

Key publications

  • Wang N, Butler JP, Ingber DE. Mechanotransduction across the cell surface and through the cytoskeleton. Science 1993; 260: 1124-1127.
     
  • Chen CS, Mrksich M, Huang S, Whitesides G, Ingber DE. Geometric control of cell life and death. Science 1997; 276: 1425-1428.
     
  • Ingber, DE. The Architecture of Life. Scientific American Jan 1998; 278: 48-57.