Press release

Tissue engineer recognised by The Economist’s tenth annual Innovation Awards

Robert Langer, who has enabled the creation of artificial skin now used for burn victims and patients with skin ulcers, and who may someday enable the creation of new vocal cords, is named this year’s winner in the category of bioscience by The Economist, as part of its annual Innovation Awards, now in their tenth year. The award, sponsored by Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd., recognises Dr Langer’s success as one of the world’s most prolific and creative biomedical engineers, with more than 800 issued and pending patents worldwide.

Dr Langer is a pioneer in the application of engineering principles to biology, notably in the fields of controlled drug delivery and tissue engineering. As the David H. Koch Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Chemical Engineering, he heads the largest biomedical engineering laboratory in the world, employing more than 100 researchers.

His many innovations include the invention of polymer-based delivery systems —which allow the controlled administration of drugs and hormones over a long period are used by tens of millions of people each year — and the development of polymers on which replacement tissue or organs can be grown.

Tom Standage, Digital Editor at The Economist and chairman of the panel of 29 judges, said: “Robert Langer is one of the most innovative and influential biomedical engineers of our time. His proven successes in drug-delivery and tissue engineering have made possible new forms of medication and treatment. He is a worthy recipient of our bioscience award.”

Ken Jones, CEO & President of Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd., sponsors of this year’s Bioscience Award, said: “Robert Langer has made an extraordinary contribution to the field of biomedical engineering and has been responsible for true breakthroughs in the global quest to discover better ways to manage diseases. It is innovative discoveries like these which enable pharmaceutical companies such as Astellas to make real progress in changing tomorrow for patients by developing effective therapies to address urgent unmet medical needs.” 

The Economist is marking its ten-year milestone by inviting all past innovation award winners to attend the Innovation summit on October 21st 2011. Those confirmed include Hermes Chan, for his work developing rapid HIV diagnostic testing; Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, for low-cost health devices for the developing world and Victoria Hale for her work promoting the use of pharmaceuticals in the developing world (OneWorld Health).

At the awards ceremony The Economist’s Editor-in-Chief, John Micklethwait, will announce the winner of a special Anniversary Award for the innovator of the decade, as chosen by Economist readers from previous winners of the Innovation Awards. The Economist is still inviting votes up until and during Friday, October 14th 2011.

For more information on joining this year’s celebration of innovation at the Innovation Summit, please contact Sarah Caddy on +44 (0)20 7467 5820.

Press enquiries:
For enquiries relating to The Economist’s Innovation Awards, please contact

Sarah Caddy, +44 (0)207 467 5820
e-mail: sarah@gongcommunications.com 

Anna-Louise Maloney, +44 (0)20 7576 8378
e-mail: anna-louisemaloney@economist.com

-ENDS-

For general queries or further information on The Economist please call Speed on 020 7842 3211 or e-mail ukpressoffice@economist.com

Notes to media:

•    Every Friday we issue a weekly media update on the content for the forthcoming edition. If you wish to be on the distribution list, please email ukpressoffice@economist.com

•    Receive regular updates through The Economist Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/theeconomist

 
About The Economist (www.economist.com)
 
With a growing global readership (now 4.5m) and a reputation for insightful analysis and perspective on every aspect of world events, The Economist is one of the most widely recognised and well-read current affairs publications. The paper covers politics, business, science and technology, and books and arts, concluding each week with the obituary. Its website (www.economist.com) offers articles from the past ten years, in addition to web-only content such as blogs, debates and audio/video programmes. The Economist is now available to download for reading on Android, iPhone, or iPad devices.