American engineer wins coveted prize for engineering solution to medical issue
Dr Robert Langer has been announced as the winner of the 2015 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QE Prize), for controlled release large molecule drug delivery – an engineering solution to a medical issue.
In the ceremony in London today, Dr Langer, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was honoured for improving the lives of others, including cancer sufferers.
Prof Langer's work has been cited 170,000 times – making him the most cited engineer in history – and he has more than 1,000 patents granted or pending for his inventions.
Dr Peter Bannister, Chair of the IET Healthcare Technologies Network, said: “Dr Langer's leadership and influence across both academia and industry, bringing together skills from traditionally separate disciplines, are deservedly celebrated with the 2015 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.
“In a wider context this an acknowledgement of the crucial role played by engineering innovation in delivering improved healthcare outcomes for patients throughout the world.”
The winner collected a cheque for £1million and a trophy at the ceremony at the Royal Academy of Engineering in central London.
Prof Langer will receive his prize from HM The Queen later this year.
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