Biography

Robert S. Langer, Sc.D.
Professor, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

ROBERT LANGER is Germeshausen Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Langer is a renowned scientist with numerous distinguished awards, including accolades from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences; American Chemical Society; National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Sciences; Gairdner Foundation; and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Dr. Langer's research interest includes drug delivery, biotechnology, immobilized enzymes, and biomedical engineering. His specialty is the study and development of polymers to deliver drugs, particularly genetically engineered proteins and DNA, continuously at controlled rates for prolonged periods of time. Dr. Langer is the Chairman of the FDA's Science Advisory Board, its highest advisory panel. Dr. Langer's patents have been licensed or sublicensed to over 70 pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology and medical device companies - a number of those firms were launched on the basis of those patent licenses. Forbes Magazine, Times and BioWorld have named Dr. Langer as one of the 25 most important individuals in biotechnology in the world. He is the only active member of all three United States National Academies (the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine). He has served, at various times, on eight boards of directors and 20 scientific advisory boards, including those of companies such as Alkermes, Mitsubishi Pharmaceuticals, Warner-Lambert, and Guilford Pharmaceuticals.