LOWELL ߝ Robert S. Langer, leader of the research project at MIT that recently reported success in using human embryonic stem cells to grow initial versions of human organs and tissues, will deliver a lecture at UMass Lowell.
Langer, a world leader in biotechnology, will speak on “Polymers for Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering.” Langer pioneered the process of growing cells on biodegradable polymer scaffolds in the shape of the organ to be created. The embryonic stem cell research is a significant advance over prior tissue engineering research because blood vessels began to spread into the new tissues, a condition necessary for large-scale growth.
Langer will give the second annual Sukant Tripathy Memorial Lecture on Thursday, Nov. 13. The reception begins at 3 p.m., and the lecture at 3:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall on University Avenue.
Langer is a prolific inventor and has nearly 500 issued or pending patents worldwide. He is the author of more than 700 articles and 400 abstracts, and has received countless awards, including the $500,000 Charles Stark Draper Prize, the world’s most prestigious engineering prize.