Tetelman Lecture | Biomaterials and Biotechnology: From the discovery of the first angiogenesis inhibitors to the development of controlled drug delivery systems and the foundation of tissue engineering

Advanced drug delivery systems are having an enormous impact on human health. Robert Langer, David H. Koch Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will begin by discussing early research on developing the first controlled release systems for macromolecules and the isolation of angiogenesis inhibitors and how these led to numerous new therapies. This research led to new drug delivery technologies including nanoparticles and nanotechnology that are now being studied for use treating cancer, other illnesses, and in vaccine delivery. Langer will review ways of developing novel microchips for drug delivery as well as approaches for synthesizing new biomaterials, such as biodegradable polyanhydrides, and examples where such materials are used in brain cancer and other diseases. Finally, by combining mammalian cells, including stem cells, with synthetic polymers, new approaches for engineering tissues are being developed that may someday help in various diseases. Examples of this include areas of cartilage, skin, blood vessels, and spinal cord repair.