Robert Samuel Langer Jr. FREng (born August 29, 1948) is an American

chemical engineer In the field of engineering, a chemical engineer is a professional, equipped with the knowledge of chemical engineering, who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products and deals with the ...

, scientist, entrepreneur, inventor and one of the twelve Institute Professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was formerly the Germeshausen Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering and maintains activity in the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of

Biological Engineering Biological engineering or bioengineering is the application of principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible, economically-viable products. Biological engineering employs knowledge and expertise from a number o ...

at MIT. He is also a faculty member of the

Harvard–MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology The Harvard–MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology, or HST, is one of the oldest and largest biomedical engineering and physician-scientist training programs in the United States. It was founded in 1970 and is the longest-standing collab ...

and the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. Langer holds over 1,400 granted or pending patents. He is one of the world's most highly cited researchers and his h-index is now 305 with currently over 376,000 citations. He is a widely recognized and cited researcher in biotechnology, especially in the fields of drug delivery systems and tissue engineering. He is the most cited engineer in history and 2nd most cited individual in any field, having authored over 1,500 scientific papers, and is also a prolific entrepreneur, having participated in the founding of over 40 biotechnology companies including Moderna. Langer's research laboratory at MIT is the largest biomedical engineering lab in the world; maintaining over $10 million in annual grants and over 100 researchers. He has been awarded numerous leading prizes in recognition of his work.

Background and personal life

Langer was born August 29, 1948, in Albany, New York, US. He is an alumnus of

The Milne School The Milne School, frequently referred to as Milne High School, was the campus laboratory school for what is now known as the University at Albany, State University of New York, located in Albany, New York. Its mission was to provide a location for ...

and received his bachelor's degree from Cornell University in chemical engineering. He earned his Sc.D. in chemical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1974. His dissertation was entitled "Enzymatic regeneration of ATP" and completed under the direction of Clark K. Colton. From 1974–1977 he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Children's Hospital Boston and at Harvard Medical School under Judah Folkman. Langer and his wife, Laura, a fellow MIT graduate, have three children.

Contributions to medicine and biotechnology

Langer is widely regarded for his contributions to medicine and biotechnology. He is considered a pioneer of many new technologies, including controlled release systems and transdermal delivery systems, which allow the administration of drugs or extraction of analytes from the body through the skin without needles or other invasive methods. Langer worked with Judah Folkman at Boston Children's Hospital to isolate the first

angiogenesis Angiogenesis is the physiological process through which new blood vessels form from pre-existing vessels, formed in the earlier stage of vasculogenesis. Angiogenesis continues the growth of the vasculature by processes of sprouting and splitting ...

inhibitor, a

macromolecule A macromolecule is a very large molecule important to biophysical processes, such as a protein or nucleic acid. It is composed of thousands of covalently bonded atoms. Many macromolecules are polymers of smaller molecules called monomers. The ...

to block the spread of blood vessels in tumors. Macromolecules tend to be broken down by digestion and blocked by body tissues if they are injected or inhaled, so finding a delivery system for them is difficult. Langer's idea was to encapsulate the angiogenesis inhibitor in a noninflammatory synthetic polymer system that could be implanted in the tumor and control the release of the inhibitor. He eventually invented polymer systems that would work. This discovery is considered to lay the foundation for much of today's drug delivery technology. Langer also worked with Henry Brem of the

Johns Hopkins University Medical School The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) is the medical school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1893, the School of Medicine shares a campus with the Johns Hopkins Hospi ...

on a drug-delivery system for the treatment of brain cancer, to deliver chemotherapy directly to a tumor site. The wafer implants that he and his teams have designed have become increasingly more sophisticated, and can now deliver multiple drugs, and respond to stimuli. In 2019, he and his team developed and patented a technique whereby microneedle tattoo patches could be used to label people with invisible ink to store medical information subcutaneously. This was presented as a boon to "developing nations" where lack of infrastructure means an absence of medical records. The technology uses a " quantum dot dye that is delivered, along with a vaccine, by a microneedle patch." Langer is regarded as the founder of tissue engineering in regenerative medicine. He and the researchers in his lab have made advances in tissue engineering, such as the creation of engineered

blood vessels The blood vessels are the components of the circulatory system that transport blood throughout the human body. These vessels transport blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen to the tissues of the body. They also take waste and carbon dioxide away f ...

and vascularized engineered

muscle Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of muscl ...

tissue. Bioengineered synthetic polymers provide a scaffolding on which new skin, muscle, bone, and entire organs can be grown. With such a substrate in place, victims of serious accidents or birth defects could more easily grow missing tissue. Such polymers can be biocompatible and biodegradable. Langer is involved in several projects related to diabetes. Alongside Daniel G. Anderson, he has contributed bioengineering work to a project involving teams from MIT, Harvard University and other institutions, to produce an implantable device to treat type 1 diabetes by shielding

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...

-producing beta cells from immune system attacks. He is also part of a team at MIT that have developed a drug capsule that could be used to deliver oral doses of

to people with type 1 diabetes.

Awards and honors

Langer is the youngest person in history (at 43) to be elected to all three American science academies: the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

, the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine. He was also elected as a charter member of National Academy of Inventors. He was elected as an International Fellow of the

Royal Academy of Engineering The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) is the United Kingdom's national academy of engineering. The Academy was founded in June 1976 as the Fellowship of Engineering with support from Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who became the first senior ...

in 2010. Langer has received more than 220 major awards. He is one of three living individuals to have received both the U.S. National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. * 1996: Gairdner Foundation International Award * 1998: Lemelson-MIT Prize for invention and innovation * 2002: Othmer Gold Medal * 2002:

Dickson Prize in Science The Dickson Prize in Medicine and the Dickson Prize in Science were both established in 1969 by Joseph Z. Dickson and Agnes Fischer Dickson. Dickson Prize in Medicine The Dickson Prize in Medicine is awarded annually by the University of Pittsburg ...

* 2002: Charles Stark Draper Prize (considered the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for engineers). * 2003: Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement * 2003: Harvey Prize in Science & Technology and Human Health. * 2005: Dan David Prize * 2005: Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research. * 2006: United States National Medal of Science from President George W. Bush. * 2008: Max Planck Research Award 2008 * 2008: Prince of Asturias Award for Scientific Research * 2008: Awarded Finland's Millennium Technology Prize for developing innovative biomaterials for controlled drug release. * 2010: Elected an International Fellow of the

. * 2011: The Economist's Innovation award in the category of bioscience for his proven successes in drug-delivery and tissue engineering. * 2011: Warren Alpert Foundation Prize * 2012: Perkin Medal, recognized as the highest honor given for outstanding work in applied chemistry in the United States. * 2012: Wilhelm Exner Medal. * 2012:

Priestley Medal The Priestley Medal is the highest honor conferred by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and is awarded for distinguished service in the field of chemistry. Established in 1922, the award is named after Joseph Priestley, the discoverer of oxygen ...

, the highest honor conferred by the American Chemical Society (ACS), for distinguished service in the field of chemistry. * 2013: United States

National Medal of Technology and Innovation The National Medal of Technology and Innovation (formerly the National Medal of Technology) is an honor granted by the President of the United States to American inventors and innovators who have made significant contributions to the development ...

from President Obama. * 2013: Wolf Prize in Chemistry for conceiving and implementing advances in polymer chemistry that provide both controlled drug-release systems and new biomaterials. * 2013:

IEEE Medal for Innovations in Healthcare Technology Through its awards program, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers recognizes contributions that advance the fields of interest to the IEEE. For nearly a century, the IEEE Awards Program has paid tribute to technical professionals ...

* 2014: The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and the

Chemical Heritage Foundation The Science History Institute is an institution that preserves and promotes understanding of the history of science. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it includes a library, museum, archive, research center and conference center. It was fo ...

selected Robert Langer as the winner of the 2014

Biotechnology Heritage Award The Biotechnology Heritage Award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of biotechnology through discovery, innovation, and public understanding. It is presented annually at the Biotechnology Innovation ...

for significant contribution to the growth of biotechnology. * 2014: Awarded the $3 million Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for his work. * 2014: Kyoto Prize * 2015: Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering * 2015: Named Cornell University's 2015 Entrepreneur of the Year. * 2015:

Scheele Award The Scheele Award () is a scientific award given by the Swedish , an organisation mainly consisting of pharmacists. The award is given to commemorate the pharmacist and chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742–1786) and has been appointed since 1961, i ...

* 2015: Kazemi Prize (Royan Institute) * 2015:

Hoover Medal The Hoover Medal is an American engineering prize. It has been given since 1930 for "outstanding extra-career services by engineers to humanity". The prize is given jointly by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Institute of Min ...

*2016: European Inventor Award * 2016: Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science * 2017: Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine * 2017: Named 1# Translational Researcher in the World by ''Nature Biotechnology''. * 2018: Named 1# Translational Researcher in the World by ''Nature Biotechnology''. * 2018: Leadership Award for Historic Scientific Advancement, American Chemical Society * 2018: Inducted into Advanced Materials Hall of Fame * 2019: Hope Funds for Cancer Award of Excellence in Basic Sciences * 2019: National Library of Medicine (Friends) Distinguished Medical Science Award * 2019:

Dreyfus Prize in the Chemical Sciences The Dreyfus Prize in the Chemical Sciences is an award given to an individual researcher in chemistry. The prize, awarded biennially, consists of a citation, a medal, and a monetary award of $250,000. The prize is awarded by The Camille and Henry ...

* 2020: Maurice Marie–Janot Award * 2020: Medalha da Ciência, Highest Distinction for Scientists, Government of Portugal (Portugal's Highest Honor) * 2021: Elected Foreign Associate, Chinese Academy of Engineering * 2021: Biomaterials Global Impact Award * 2021: Falch Lecture Prize, University of Bergen, Norway * 2021: John P. Merrill Award * 2021: BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award * 2022:

Balzan Prize The International Balzan Prize Foundation awards four annual monetary prizes to people or organizations who have made outstanding achievements in the fields of humanities, natural sciences, culture, as well as for endeavours for peace and the br ...

He has received numerous other awards, including the 10th Annual Heinz Award in the category of Technology, the Economy and Employment (2003), In 2013 he was awarded the IRI Medal alongside long-time friend

George M. Whitesides George McClelland Whitesides (born August 3, 1939) is an American chemist and professor of chemistry at Harvard University. He is best known for his work in the areas of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, organometallic chemistry, molecula ...

for outstanding accomplishments in technological innovation that have contributed broadly to the development of industry and the benefit of society. He also received the Rusnano prize that year. He has also given 137 named lectures and commencement speeches. Langer has honorary degrees from 40 universities from around the world including Harvard, Yale, and Columbia University.

Founder of various biotech companies

Robert Langer has been involved in the founding of many companies, more than twenty in partnership with the venture capital firm

Polaris Partners Polaris Partners is a venture capital firm active in the field of healthcare and biotechnology companies. The company has offices in Boston, Massachusetts, New York, NY and San Francisco, California. History Polaris Partners was founded in 1996 ...

. Success of these companies and Langer's contribution has been detailed by Harvard Business Review: * Acusphere * AIR (acquired by Alkermes and subsequently acquired by Acorda) * Arsenal Medical * Arsia (acquired by Eagle Pharmaceuticals) * BIND Therapeutics (acquired by Pfizer) * Tarveda Therapeutics (formerly Blend Therapeutics) * Sontra Medical (acquired by Echo Therapeutics) * Enzytech (acquired by Alkermes) * Tissium (formerly Gecko Biomedical) * InVivo Therapeutics * Kala * Landsdowne Labs * Living Proof (acquired by Unilever) * Lyra Therapeutics * Lyndra Therapeutics * Microchips Biotech (acquired by Dare) * Moderna * Momenta (acquired by

Johnson and Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...

) * Olivo Labs (acquired by Shisheido) * Pervasis (acquired by

Shire Pharmaceuticals Shire plc was a UK-founded Jersey-registered specialty biopharmaceutical company. Originating in the United Kingdom with an operational base in the United States, its brands and products included Vyvanse, Lialda, and Adderall XR. Shire was ac ...

) * PixarBio * Pulmatrix * PureTech * Selecta Biosciences * Semprus Biosciences (acquired by

Teleflex Teleflex Incorporated, headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania, is an American provider of specialty medical devices for a range of procedures in critical care and surgery. Teleflex has annual revenues of $2.4 billion, operations in 40 countries, an ...

) * Seventh Sense * SQZ Biotech * Taris (acquired by

) * Transform (acquired by

) * T2Biosystems * Frequency Therapeutics * Sigilon Therapeutics * Seer Bio Langer is a member of the Advisory Board of Patient Innovation, a nonprofit, international, multilingual, free venue for patients and caregivers of any disease to share their innovations. He is also a member of the Xconomists, an ad hoc team of editorial advisors for the tech news and media company, Xconomy.

Exhibits at Boston's Logan Airport

Langer is featured in two different exhibits at Boston's

Logan Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport , also known as Boston Logan International Airport and commonly as Boston Logan, Logan Airport or simply Logan, is an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partially ...

. At terminal C (near Gate 8) in the exhibit '4 centuries of Massachusetts Innovation', Langer and Judah Folkman are listed for 'Cancer breakthrough-1st cancer blood vessel inhibitor'. In terminal E, Massachusetts innovators-Transforming the world, Langer is featured as "Revolutionary Biomedical Technology through Development of Controlled Drug Delivery Systems" (near Gate 12).

References

External links

Langer Lab: Professor Robert Langer
*
Article on BBC NewsThe Bob Langer and Polaris Company Tree From Acusphere to Momenta to Visterra

Robert Langer: Exchanges at the frontier – ABC Radio National podcast
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Langer, Robert S. 1948 births Living people People from Albany, New York 20th-century American inventors 21st-century American inventors American chemical engineers American patent holders Biotechnologists Cornell University College of Engineering alumni Draper Prize winners Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Fellows of the Biomedical Engineering Society Harvard University faculty Jewish American scientists Jewish chemists Lemelson–MIT Prize MIT School of Engineering alumni MIT School of Engineering faculty Members of the National Academy of Medicine Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering National Medal of Science laureates Scientists from New York (state) Winners of The Economist innovation awards Wolf Prize in Chemistry laureates 21st-century American Jews Moderna people Kyoto laureates in Advanced Technology