Dr. Benjamin Freedman is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, in the Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology. He is a core faculty member of the Kidney Research Institute and the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine. He also holds adjunct faculty appointments in the UW Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, Department of Pharmaceutics, and Department of Bioengineering.
Dr. Freedman was born and raised in Chicago. He graduated magna cum laude with his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, double majoring in Biochemistry and Biology. He received his Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology in 2009 from the University of California at Berkeley. He performed postdoctoral studies in the Renal Division of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, at Harvard Medical School, and became a junior faculty member there, before being recruited to the University of Washington in 2015. He conducts fundamental biomedical research with human pluripotent stem cells as a model system to understand the interface between cell biology and kidney disease.
Freedman is one of the original inventors of human kidney organoids, also known as mini-kidneys. He was the first investigator to apply kidney organoids to model cyst formation in polycystic kidney disease. His lab has since developed a variety of mini-kidney disease models, with ongoing studies related to cystinosis, ciliopathies, glomerular disorders, and kidney regeneration. In addition to his academic appointment, Dr. Freedman is the CEO and founder of Plurexa, a biotechnology company located in Seattle, which seeks to improve therapy development using mini-organs and related technology.
The lab welcomes opportunities to apply for funding or collaborate to conduct sponsored research. One way you can help is to consider a tax-deductible donation, which goes straight to our research and helps keep the lab afloat. We also welcome inquiries from the media regarding our discoveries and perspectives. Dr. Freedman can also provide references to employers or award applications. Dr. Freedman’s CV is available upon request. We receive a lot of e-mail, so please do not contact us with solicitations for products or services.
Contact:
Benjamin S. Freedman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine
850 Republican St
Seattle, WA 98109
Box 358056
benof(at)uw(dot)edu
