Ravi S. Kane
— Merck Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Education:
— Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 1998
— M.S., Chemical Engineering Practice, MIT, 1995
— B.S., Chemical Engineering, with distinction, Stanford University, 1993

Career Highlights:
Kane joined Rensselaer in 2001 after completing a two-year post-doctorate in chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard University. He was the recipient of the Outstanding Seminar Award from the department of chemical engineering at MIT in 1997; received a National Science Foundation graduate fellowship; and has been elected to the Sigma Xi, Tau Beta Pi, and Phi Beta Kappa honor societies.

Research Areas:
Kane's group is investigating and solving problems in biology and medicine through molecular engineering of nanomaterials and interfaces. His research is focused in four areas: design of multivalent inhibitors and effectors, gene therapy, design of nanostructured biosensors, and cellular microenvironment engineering.

Kane's team is designing multivalent nanoscale therapeutics for a number of diseases including AIDS, anthrax, and influenza. Members also are designing multivalent molecules that can activate biological systems and elicit cellular responses by clustering cellular receptors.

In his gene therapy research, Kane's group is developing novel strategies to overcome major obstacles that are hindering advancement of this form of treatment. One of the better-developed approaches to gene delivery employs the natural ability of viruses to deliver their DNA to human cells. However, the broad tropisms of these viral vectors and the antibody-mediated clearance of the vectors are a major barrier in preventing clinical gene therapy.

His team also is devising strategies for functionalizing nanostructured materials with polymers and with biomolecules, such as enzymes and DNA. This technology may be useful for the design of high-density microarrays. Researchers also are working on other approaches for designing sensors for toxins and pathogens.

In the area of cellular behavior, Kane's team is using the tools of microfabrication and genomics to investigate the molecular basis for cellular response to microenvironments. They are also using these microfabrication tools to influence the differentiation of stem cells.

Selected Publications:
S. Metallo, R.S. Kane, R.E. Holmlin, and G.M. Whitesides, "Bifunctional Polymers Presenting Vancomycin and Fluorescein that Direct Anti-Fluorescein Antibodies to Self-Assembled Monolayers Presenting D-Alanine-D-Alanine Groups," submitted, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

R.S. Kane, P. Deschatelets, and G.M. Whitesides, "Kosmotropes Form the Basis of Protein-Resistant Surfaces," Langmuir, 19, 2388-2391, (2003).

A. Stroock, R.S. Kane, M. Weck, S.J. Metallo, and G.M. Whitesides, "Synthesis of Free-Standing Quasi-Two-Dimensional Polymers," Langmuir, 19, 2466-2472, (2003).

R.S. Kane, A. Stroock, N.L. Jeon, D.E. Ingber, and G.M. Whitesides, "Microfluidics," in Optical Biosensors: Present and Future, Eds. Ligler and Rowe-Taitt, 571-595, (2002).

R.S. Kane, P.T. Glink, R.G. Chapman, C. McDonald, P. Jensen, H. Gao, L. Pasa-Tolic, R.D. Smith, and G.M. Whitesides, "Study of the Basicity of the Amino Groups of the Aminoglycoside Amikacin Using Capillary Electrophoresis," Analytical Chemistry, 73, 4028, (2001).

M. Mourez, R.S. Kane, J. Mogridge, S.M. Metallo, P. Deschatelets, B.R. Sellman, G.M. Whitesides, and J. Collier, "Designing a Polyvalent Inhibitor of Anthrax Toxin," Nature Biotechnology, 19, 958, (2001).

D.T. Chiu, N.L. Jeon, S. Huang, R.S. Kane, C.J. Wargo, I.S. Choi, D.E. Ingber, and G.M. Whitesides, "Patterned Deposition of Cells and Proteins onto Surfaces by Using Three-dimensional Microfluidic Systems," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), 97, 2408, (2000).

E. Ostuni, R.S. Kane, C.S. Chen, D.E. Ingber, and G.M. Whitesides, "Patterning Mammalian Cells Using Elastomeric Membranes," Langmuir, 16, 7811, (2000).

S. Joly, R.S. Kane, L. Radzilowski, T. Wang, A. Wu, R.E. Cohen, E.L. Thomas, and M.F. Rubner, "Multilayer Nanoreactors for Metallic and Semiconducting Particles," Langmuir, 16, 1354, (2000).

R.S. Kane, S. Takayama, E. Ostuni, D.E. Ingber, and G.M. Whitesides, "Patterning Proteins and Cells Using Soft Lithography," Biomaterials, 20, 2363, (1999).

Contact Information:
Ravi S. Kane
131 Ricketts Building
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
110 Eighth Street
Troy, N.Y. 12180 USA
(518) 276-2536

E-mail: kaner@rpi.edu

Top of Page