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William R. Wagner

Professor, Department of Surgery
Professor, Bioengineering
Professor, Chemical and Petroleum Engineering

Email:
Phone: (412) 235-5138
Fax: (412) 235-5110
Office: 226 Bridgeside Point
100 Technology Dr
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Education

Ph.D. (Chemical Engineering), University of Texas at Austin, 1991

Professional Interests

Dr. William R. Wagner is the Deputy Director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine as well as a Professor of Surgery, Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. He also serves as the Director of Thrombosis Research for the Artificial Heart and Lung Program. He holds a B.S. (Johns Hopkins Univ.) and Ph.D. (Univ. of Texas) in Chemical Engineering. Dr. Wagner serves as the Coordinator for the Cellular and Organ Engineering track for Bioengineering graduate students, and currently teaches in the areas of biomaterials and tissue engineering.

Professor Wagner is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and is a member of numerous professional and scientific societies, including the Society for Biomaterials, American Chemical Society, American Society for Artificial Internal Organs, Biomedical Engineering Society and Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society. He is the founding editor of the biomaterials journal Acta Biomaterialia, which began publication in January 2005, and currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine and Biotechnology & Bioengineering. Dr. Wagner has served as Chairman for the Gordon Research Conference on Biomaterials: Biocompatibility & Tissue Engineering as well as the First World Congress of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society. In 2006 Dr. Wagner was selected to the "Scientific American 50", the magazine's annual list recognizing leaders in science and technology from the research, business and policy fields. He has served on numerous NIH and NSF study sections and has been a member of external review committees for national and international organizations focused on bioengineering and regenerative medicine.

Dr. Wagner's research interests involve the application of engineering and materials science principles to develop technologies that aid in the treatment and diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. His research group's cardiovascular engineering efforts include projects that address cardiovascular device biocompatibility and design, tissue engineering, and targeted vascular imaging. Researchers in Dr. Wagner's group include graduate students in Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering as well as post-doctoral fellows with backgrounds in surgery, engineering, or polymer chemistry. Projects span from in vitro to clinical studies.

For additional information on Professor Wagner's research programs, please visit the page of his laboratory at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at http://www.mirc.pitt.edu/people/bios/Wagner1.html

Selected Publications

  • Eash, H.J., Frankowski, B.J., Litwak, K., Wagner, W.R., Hattler, B.G., & Federspiel, W.J. (2003). Acute in-vivo testing of a respiratory assist catheter: Implants in calves versus sheep. ASAIO Journal 49(4), 370-377.
  • Lu, E., Wagner, W.R., Schellenberger, U., Abraham, J.A., Klibanov, A.L., Woulfe, S.R., Csikari, M.M., Fischer, D., Schreiner, G.F., Brandenburger, G.H., & Villanueva, F.S. (2003). Targeted in vivo labeling of receptors for vascular endothelial growth factor: Approach to identification of ischemic tissue. Circulation 108, 97-103.
  • Weller, G.R., Lu, E., Csikari, M.M., Klibanov, A.L., Fischer, D., Wagner, W.R., & Villanueva, F.S. (2003). Ultrasound imaging of acute cardiac transplant rejection with microbubbles targeted to intercellular adhesion molecule-1. Circulation 108(2), 218-224.
  • Guan, J., Sacks, M.S., Beckman, E.J., & Wagner, W.R. (2004). Biodegradable poly(ester-urethane)urea elastomers based on poly(ether ester) triblock copolymers and putrescine: Synthesis, characterization, and cytocompatibility. Biomaterials, 25(1), 85-96.
  • Stankus, J.J., Guan, J., & Wagner, W.R. (2004). Fabrication of biodegradable, elastomeric scaffolds with sub-micron morphologies. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, 70A, 603-614.
  • Villanueva, F.S., Wagner, W.R. Vannan, M.A., & Narula, J. (2004). Targeted ultrasound imaging using microbubbles. Cardiology Clinics, 22, 283-298.
  • Stankus, J.J., Guan, J., & Wagner, W.R. (2004). Elastomers, biodegradable. In: G.E. Wnek and G.L. Bowlin (Eds.) Encyclopedia of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering. New York, Marcel Dekker.
  • Guan J, Fujimoto KL, Sacks MS, Wagner WR: Preparation and characterization of highly porous, biodegradable polyurethane scaffolds for soft tissue applications. Biomaterials 26:3961-71 (2005).
  • Weller GER, Wong MKK, Modzelewski RA, Lu E, Klibanov AL, Wagner WR, Villanueva FS: Ultrasonic imaging of tumor angiogenesis using contrast microbubbles targeted via the tumor-binding peptide arginine-arginine-leucine. Cancer Res 65:533-539 (2005).
  • Wu J, Antaki JF, Snyder TA, Wagner WR, Borovetz HS, Paden BE: Design optimization of blood shearing instrument by computational fluid dynamics. Artif Organs 29:482-489 (2005).
  • Guan J, Wagner WR: Synthesis, characterization and cytocompatibility of polyurethaneurea elastomers with designed elastase sensitivity. Biomacromolecules 6:2833-2842 (2005).
  • Wu J, Antaki JF, Wagner WR, Snyder TA, Paden BE, Borovetz HS: Elimination of adverse leakage flow in a miniature pediatric centrifugal blood pump by computational fluid dynamics-based design optimization. ASAIO J 51:636-643 (2005).
  • Weller GER, Villanueva FS, Tom E, Wagner WR: Targeted ultrasound contrast agents: In vitro assessment of endothelial dysfunction and multi-targeting to ICAM-1 and sialyl Lewisx. Biotechnol Bioeng 92:780-788 (2005).
  • Guan J, Stankus JJ, Wagner WR. Soft tissue scaffolds. Encyclopedia of Biomedical Engineering. G. Pins, Ed., J. Wiley and Sons (2006).
  • Ramaswami P, Wagner WR. Cardiovascular tissue engineering. An Introduction to Biomaterials. S.A. Guelcher and J.O. Hollinger, Eds., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, (2006).
  • Stankus JJ, Guan J, Fujimoto K, Wagner WR: Microintegrating smooth muscle cells into a biodegradable, elastomeric fiber matrix. Biomaterials 27:735-744 (2006).
  • Xu H, Kaar JL, Russell AJ, Wagner WR: Characterizing the modification of surface proteins with poly(ethylene glycol) to interrupt platelet adhesion. Biomaterials 27:3125-3135 (2006).
  • Sacks MS, Courtney T, Stankus J, Guan J, Wagner WR: Analysis and design of tissue engineered scaffolds that mimic soft tissue mechanical anisotropy. Biomaterials 27:3631-3638 (2006).
  • Guan J, Stankus JJ, Wagner WR: Development of composite porous scaffolds based on collagen and biodegradable poly(ester urethane)urea. Cell Transplant 15(S1):17-27 (2006).
  • Soletti L, Nieponice A, Guan J, Stankus J, Wagner WR, Vorp DA: A seeding device for tissue engineered tubular structures. Biomaterials 27:4863-4870 (2006).
  • Snyder TA, Eash HJ, Litwak KN, Frankowski BJ, Hattler BG, Federspiel WJ, Wagner WR: Blood biocompatibility assessment of an intravenous gas exchange device. Artif Organs 30:657-664 (2006).
  • Snyder TA, Tsukui H, Kihara S, Akimoto T, Litwak KN, Kameneva MV, Yamazaki K, Wagner WR: Preclinical biocompatibility assessment of the EVAHEART ventricular assist device: coating comparison and platelet activation. J Biomed Mater Res A (in press).
  • Fujimoto KL, Guan J, Oshima H, Sakai T, Wagner WR: In vivo evaluation of a porous, elastic, biodegradable patch for reconstructive cardiac procedures. Ann Thorac Surg (in press).
  • Snyder TA, Litwak KN, Tsukui H, Akimoto T, Kihara S, Yamazaki K, Wagner WR: Leukocyte-platelet aggregates and monocyte tissue factor expression in bovines implanted with ventricular assist devices. Artif Organs (in press).
  • Deglau TE, Johnson JD, Villanueva FS, Wagner WR: Targeting microspheres and cells to PEG-modified biological surfaces. J Biomed Mater Res A (in press).
  • Villanueva FS, Lu E, Bowry S, Kilic S, Tom E, Wang J, Gretton J, Pacella JJ, Wagner WR: Myocardial Ischemic Memory Imaging Using Molecular Echocardiography. Circulation (in press).

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