Stars Shine Over Hong Kong: Professor Robert Langer Honored with 2026 Bioactive Materials Lifetime Achievement Award
Published 09 January, 2026
On January 9, 2026, the Ceremony for the 2026 Bioactive Materials Lifetime Achievement Award was successfully held during the 2nd Beijing-Hong Kong Bio-Composites Forum and the 2026 Academic Annual Meeting of the Chinese Society for Biomaterials at The University of Hong Kong. Professor Robert S. Langer, an iconic figure in the global biomaterials field and one of only nine Institute Professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which is MIT’s highest faculty honor, was conferred this prestigious award in recognition of his pioneering contributions and profound influence on the discipline. The ceremony gathered numerous academic elites, with on-site guests and the awardee connecting remotely, creating a heartfelt atmosphere of tribute for this academic grand event.
Professor Robert Langer
MIT Institute Professor
Professor Langer's groundbreaking work has benefited millions around the world. He collaborated with Dr. Judah Folkman to isolate the first angiogenesis inhibitors, leading to new treatments for cancer and blindness. He also developed the first nanoparticles and microparticles for delivering large molecules including nucleic acids and helped establish the field of tissue engineering. This field has enabled the creation of artificial skin for burn victims and advanced organ-on-a-chip technology. His academic journey was not without challenges. He faced rejection for his first nine grant applications and no engineering department was willing to hire him at the beginning. However, he persisted and has since authored more than 1,600 papers that have been cited over 465,000 times. With an h-index of 334, he stands as the most cited engineer in history. His patents have been licensed or sublicensed to more than 400 companies and he has co-founded over 40 ventures, including Moderna. He chaired the FDA's Science Board from 1999 to 2002 and has received more than 220 awards. These include the U.S. National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, making him one of only three living individuals to hold both honors. His other accolades feature the Draper Prize often regarded as engineering's Nobel Prize, the Queen Elizabeth II Prize for Engineering, the Albany Medical Center Prize, the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the Kyoto Prize, the Wolf Prize, the Millennium Technology Prize, the Kavli Prize in Nanoscience and the Double Helix Medal from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. He holds 45 honorary doctorates from renowned institutions such as Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University and the University of Oxford. He has also been elected to the National Academies of Medicine, Engineering and Sciences as well as the National Academy of Inventors.
Established by KeAi in 2021, the Bioactive Materials Lifetime Achievement Award aims to honor scholars who have made extraordinary scientific contributions to the field of bioactive materials. Recipients are selected through a rigorous evaluation process by an international review panel. Due to objective reasons, Professor Langer was unable to attend the ceremony in person. Professor Guillermo A. Ameer from Northwestern University and Professor Gu Zhen from Zhejiang University were invited as special guests. They not only shared their academic connections with Professor Langer and expressed their admiration on site but also accepted the award on his behalf, embodying the academic community's high recognition of his achievements.
Though based overseas, Professor Langer participated in the entire ceremony online. Following the award presentation, he delivered a keynote speech titled "Biomaterials & Biotechnology: From the discovery of the first angiogenesis inhibitors to the development of controlled drug delivery systems and the foundation of tissue engineering." In his speech, he systematically reviewed the arduous journey of founding two new fields controlled release of bioactive molecules and tissue engineering over his more than 40-year academic career. He also shared research breakthroughs and clinical translation outcomes of technologies such as mRNA vaccine delivery and degradable biological scaffolds. His academic spirit of devoting himself to basic research and empowering clinical applications deeply resonated with all participants.
The ceremony garnered widespread attention from the global biomaterials field and publishing industry. Many leading figures and renowned scholars sent congratulatory videos to witness this important moment:
Mr. Bin Peng, Chairman of KeAi, delivered a speech on behalf of the organizer. He reviewed the leapfrog development of the journal Bioactive Materials since its founding and highly praised Professor Langer's research for laying a solid foundation for the journal's growth and the advancement of the discipline.
Sir Cato T. Laurencin from the University of Connecticut, a close friend and colleague of Professor Langer for over 40 years, spoke from the perspectives of personal growth and academic inheritance. He hailed Professor Langer as not only a guiding light in scientific research but also a role model of humanistic care and family responsibility.
Professor David Mooney from Harvard University shared his experience as a student of Professor Langer. He emotionally recalled Professor Langer's open and inclusive educational philosophy. Students in his laboratory could book discussions freely and receive academic guidance at any time. He paid tribute to Professor Langer's achievement of nurturing more than 500 talents now serving in universities worldwide.
Professor Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic from Columbia University focused on academic contributions. She highly recognized the milestone significance of Professor Langer's 1976 Nature paper which pioneered the field of protein and RNA controlled release and his 1999 Science paper which laid the foundation for the discipline of tissue engineering.
Professor Daniel Anderson from MIT emphasized that Professor Langer has co-founded more than 40 companies, promoting technologies that have benefited billions of patients. This fully demonstrates the scientist's social responsibility and industry influence, calling him an "irreplaceable giant in the field of biomaterials."
The successful holding of this award ceremony not only promoted academic exchange and cooperation in the biomaterials field between Beijing, Hong Kong and the world but also highlighted the important role of Bioactive Materials as an internationally renowned journal brand in leading disciplinary development and linking global scientific research resources.
