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Chemical Engineer Receives $500K Prize

Posted on: Friday, 29 April 2005, 18:00 CDT

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Robert Langer, a chemical engineer whose work with polymers helped pave the way for implantable drug-delivery devices and tissue engineering, won the nation's richest prize for medicine and biomedical research Friday.

The $500,000 Albany Medical Center Prize is second only to the $1.4 million Nobel Prize in cash value. Langer, a 56-year-old professor of chemical and biomedical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, won the award for a prolific body of work highlighted by the development of surgically implanted devices that regulate medication delivery to heart and cancer patients, said James J. Barba, chief executive officer of Albany Medical Center.

"The world owes an infinite debt of gratitude to Dr. Langer for his pioneering work in the field of drug delivery systems that has improved the lives of more than 60 million people each year," Barba said.

Langer developed a biodegradable polymer that can be pressed into a tiny wafer to deliver chemotherapy directly to a tumor site. He formulated related polymers honeycombed with microscopic channels that allow for a slow, steady release of medication. That work helped lead to a drug-shedding stent for cardiac patients that reduces the chance of blockages forming in arteries.

Langer also is a pioneer in tissue engineering, using polymers as a framework on which living cells can grow. His work helped lead to the development of artificial skin used by burn patients. Artificial spinal and vocal cords are being tested in animals.

Langer said it was especially gratifying to receive a medical prize since he was trained as a chemical engineer. He said that when he earned his degree in 1974, most of his fellow graduates headed to the oil industry.

"I just had this dream of doing something to improve people's health ... I sort of took the road less taken, so to speak, for an engineer," Langer said in a telephone interview before receiving the award.

Langer said he and his wife will likely use the prize money to invest in the futures of their three children, aged 11 through 15. Langer, born in Albany, lives in the Boston area.

Langer holds more than 500 issued or pending patents. He has won 130 awards, including the $500,000 Charles Stark Draper Prize for engineers and the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize for invention.

Langer said he wants to train the future leaders in the nascent field of biomedical engineering, shepherd more advanced products into the market and continue his own research.

"I still get a number of sort of crazy ideas, or new ideas," he said. "I want to see if we can get them to work."

The Albany Medical Prize award was established in 2000 by a $50 million gift to Albany Medical Center from Morris "Marty" Silverman, a New York City businessman. The award is designed to encourage sustained contributions to health care and biomedical research.

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On the Net:

Albany Medical Center: http://www.amc.edu

Source: Associated Press/AP Online

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