Even before qualifying in medicine, Ronald Barnes was actively involved in medical research. Since qualification his research interest has never ceased. Although the direction changed from clinical to science-based medical research his research interest never stopped. It ultimately took over when he directed multidisciplinary scientific-based medical research. Not only with the scientists in his own Department at the MRC's Clinical Research Centre, but also with a number of leading medical scientists both in the UK and around the World. Numerous collaborative projects were initiated and many publications resulted. These included:

•      Autoimmune disease - the effect of autoantibodies [Nature (1966) 209  1095]

•     Aplastic anaemia with thymoma - an autoimmune disorder? [Lancet (1966) 1464]

•     Autoantibodies influenced by environment [Nature (1967) 214 1136]

•     Germfree Human Isolator [Lancet (1968) 622]

•     Germfree Baby - BMA 1968 Silver Film Award

•     Germfree Infant - derivation and care of World's first germfree baby [Lancet (1969) 168]

•     Mammalian placenta porous to maternal blood cells - yet no rejection of foetus [Nature (1969) 221 1029]

•     Autoimmune disease - deficiency of T-cell suppressor function [Lancet (1971) 135]

•    Autoimmune disease - correctable 'deficiency' disease [Clin. exp. Immunol. (1972) 2 605]

•    Automated analysis of anaemia & differential white cell counting [Lancet (1972) 463; Scand. J.Haemat. (1973) 10 315]

•    Tumour resistance dominant over tumour susceptibility - a study of early embryo aggregation derived AKR mouse chimaeras [Nature (1973) 244 282]

•     Placenta is Porous - BMA 1973 Silver Film Award

•     Lack of tolerance to murine leukaemia virus infection - cause of leukaemogenesis? [Cancer Research (1975) 35 2699]

•     Risk of foetal abnormality in in-vitro fertilisation derived animals [Lancet (1976) 1016: J. Reprod. Fertil. (1975) 43 531]

•     Non-antibody virus neutralizing serum factor defined [Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. (1975) 72 5071]

•     Oncogenic virus infection not invariably associated with tumour development - further evidence of dominant tumour resistance host factors [Cancer Research (1976) 36 3622]  

•     X-irradiation induced tumours not invariably due to activation of oncogenic virus [J. gen. Virol. (1981) 53 377]   

•     Tolerance in in-utero grafted animals suggested feasibility of foetal grafting to correct inborn deficiency diseases [Transplant. Proceed. (1983) 15 868]