For vast contributions and discoveries in the field of drug delivery systems and for spearheading the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, generating synthetic polymer systems capable of facilitating controlled drug release as well as serving as platforms for the engineering of blood vessels, cartilage, and skin.
A prolific and world-renowned scientist and inventor, Dr. Langer has made seminal contributions and discoveries in the field of drug delivery systems and has spearheaded the development of fields including tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, leading to a significant impact on human health and disease. As the most cited engineer in history, Dr. Langer possesses over 1,400 granted or pending patents with applications ranging from the development of effective long-term delivery systems for insulin, anti-cancer drugs, and growth factors, to gene therapy agents and vaccines. His breakthrough discoveries include the generation of the first noninflammatory synthetic system that encapsulated an angiogenesis inhibitor to block blood vessel formation, capable of releasing the drug in a controlled manner once implanted near a tumor. This work would lay the foundation for drug delivery systems that have impacted patients worldwide. Moreover, he has developed biosynthetic and biodegradable polymer systems serving as a platform for the engineering of tissues such as skin, cartilage, blood vessels, and vascularized skeletal muscle tissue, thus providing vital solutions to tissue creation and regeneration in organ failure.
Poised at the interface of biotechnology and materials science, Dr. Langer’s ongoing research focuses on the study and development of materials to deliver drugs continuously. These include genetically engineered proteins, DNA, mRNA and RNAi, delivered at controlled rates. At the inception and the forefront of the field of tissue engineering, Dr. Langer’s outstanding contributions continue to expand the repertoire of functional substitutes for damaged tissues and organs (and organs on a chip), impinging upon one of the most frequent, devastating, and costly problems in human health care.
Selected Awards and Honors
2019 Dreyfus Prize in the Chemical Sciences, The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Inc., New York, New York
2017 Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine, International Institute for Nanotechnology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
2015 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, London, United Kingdom
2014 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, San Francisco, California
2014 Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology, Inamori Foundation, Kyoto, Japan
2013 United States National Medal of Technology and Innovation (for 2011)
2013 Wolf Prize in Chemistry, Wolf Foundation
2012 Priestley Medal, American Chemical Society
2012 Elected Fellow, National Academy of Inventors, Tampa, Florida
2008 Millennium Technology Prize
2008 Max Planck Research Award, Max Planck Society, München, Germany
2008 Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research, Prince of Asturias Foundation, Oviedo, Spain
2006 United States National Medal of Science, Washington, DC
1992 Elected Member, National Academy of Engineering, Washington, DC
1992 Elected Member, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
1989 Elected Member, National Academy of Medicine, Washington, DC