Robert Redmond, PhD

Robert W. Redmond, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Dermatology and an Associate Chemist in the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Redmond received his BSc (Hons,) and PhD in Chemistry from Paisley College of Technology in Scotland before postdoctoral research fellowships at the Max-Planck Institut für Strahlenchemie (Radiation Chemistry) and the National Research Council of Canada. Dr. Redmond's focus of study spans the fields of photochemistry, photobiology and photomedicine.

At the Wellman Center, his research interests initially lay in the basic understanding and utilization of photochemical reactions in biological environments, such as cells or tissue, particularly on how the biological microenvironment influences photochemical reaction pathways and how this could be harnessed for therapeutic purposes. Dr. Redmond's group studied reaction pathways on a more encompassing temporal and spatial scale using transient spectroscopy and time-lapse microscopy that allowed reaction processes to be followed from nanoseconds to days in duration.  The elucidation of novel tissue-induced reaction pathways opened up the realm of translational research into potential therapeutic interventions involving reaction oxygen species, oxidative stress and protein crosslinking.  Primary reactive species and their targets lead to secondary reactive species and the relationship between inherent reactivity and spatial range of influence of these different reactive oxygen species has been explored, including cell-cell signaling and the impact of bystander effects in oxidative stress. 

The use of light-activated crosslinking of natural proteins for tissue engineering, surgical wound closure, tissue reinforcement and for mitigation of inflammatory processes is an important element of Dr. Redmond’s research at Wellman.  In collaboration with Professor Irene Kochevar at Wellman, Mark Randolph, Director of the Plastic Surgery Research Laboratory, and a variety of clinical collaborators from the MGH and beyond, the use of such reactions has been explored for wound closure (Photochemical Tissue Bonding, PTB) in peripheral nerve, blood vessel, tendon, ligament, gastrointestinal tract and pancreas, for tissue engineering in cartilage and meniscus regeneration, and for strengthening of venous coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG) to improve patency and longevity. Another interesting facet to photocrosslinking is the reduction in inflammation and scarring compared to standard closure techniques, with the enhanced network of crosslinks in the tissue modulating the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the tissue (Photochemical Tissue Passivation, PTP). These light-activated treatments have considerable advantages over other wound closure or tissue strengthening techniques as there is no foreign body nor closure trauma involved, the process generates a water-tight seal and is non-inflammatory and reduces complications due to scarring.  These novel approaches have led to significant patents and two spin-off companies for applications in skin wound closure and CABG.