Thursday, September 15, 2011

Langer wins prestigious Alpert Prize

By Julie M. Donnelly, Boston Business Journal

Robert Langer, MIT chemical engineering professor and prolific life sciences startup creator, has been tapped to share the 2011 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize with cardiac surgeon Alain F. Carpentier of Paris. Langer will get half of the $250,000 award, but more importantly, he may get some buzz during the scientific equivalent of the film industry’s Oscar season.

The winners of the biggest scientific awards in the world, the Nobel Prize, will be announced beginning on Oct. 3.

The Alpert Prize has awarded more than $3 million since 1987 to 39 scientists, including seven who have also received a Nobel Prize. Of those, four scientists first received the Alpert prize, followed by the Nobel. When asked whether there are rumors swirling about a possible Nobel win, Langer demurred, saying he would not know about such things.

“This is a big pinnacle award and the fact that they put me in the same company with people like Judah Folkman, I am tremendously honored,” Langer said, referring to the Alpert Prize.

Langer is the world’s most cited engineer, holding more than 800 granted or pending patents. Langer has had a hand in founding a large number of Massachusetts life sciences companies, including Momenta Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: MNTA), Acusphere Inc., Selecta Biosciences, Pulmatrix Inc., Pervasis Therapeutics Inc., Semprus BioSciences, Taris Biomedical and Bind Biosciences.

Langer’s co-awardee, Carpentier, has previously won the Lasker Award, whose 2011 winners were named earlier this week. The Lasker also has a reputation for presaging the outcome of the Nobels.