[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 91 (Thursday, July 13, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S7509]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF DR. ROBERTO LANGER

 Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize and 
celebrate the work of a great man whose work has an impact on lives 
throughout this country and all over the globe. This month hundreds of 
scientists will gather at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to 
celebrate one of their own, Doctor Robert Langer, and I am proud to 
join them in doing so.
  Most Americans will never meet Dr. Langer, but chances are his 
research has already affected their life. One of America's most 
brilliant scientists, Dr. Langer has been on the front lines of the 
fight to cure cancer and continues to push the envelope of biomedical 
engineering. Dr. Langer studied chemical engineering in college after 
being inspired by the gift of a chemistry set as a child. He went on to 
receive his doctorate from MIT in 1974. Doctor Langer accepted a 
postdoctorate fellowship at Children's Hospital in Boston with Judah 
Folkman, a leading cancer researcher.
  Dr. Langer's return to MIT as a professor of chemical engineering 
resulted in the creation of the Langer Lab, one of the most cutting-
edge biotechnology laboratories in the world. Researchers at the Langer 
Lab study ways to utilize polymers to deliver life-saving drugs to 
patients with diseases such as diabetes and cancer, and the success of 
Doctor Langer's work earned him a place as one of CNN's ``100 Most 
Important People in America.'' In 2004, Parade magazine selected him as 
one of six ``Heroes whose research may save your life.''
  Dr. Langer's genius has been recognized repeatedly by his scientific 
peers as well. He is the recipient of over 140 major awards, including 
in 2002 the premier award in science, the Charles Stark Draper prize. 
In 1998, he was awarded the Lemelson-MIT prize for invention, and in 
2006 he was inducted into the Inventor's Hall of Fame. He holds nearly 
550 patents, 180 of which are licensed to medical, chemical, or 
pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Langer is one of a select few elected to 
all three of America's National Academies--the National Academy of 
Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of 
Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences--and at age of 43, was the 
youngest man to be so honored.
  Massachusetts has a long and rich history of technological 
innovation, global leadership in health care, and advancing insight 
into the human condition. Dr. Langer's genius and creativity have kept 
the faith with that history through 30 years of providing cutting-edge 
solutions to the medical problems of today and tomorrow. Along with his 
colleagues, family, and friends, I thank him for his contributions and 
look forward to many more years of his work on behalf of people all 
over the globe.

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