Targeted Delivery Of Medicines
Author: PHoF Historical Committee
Lead Researcher: Maureen Steinwall
Featured Hall of Fame Member: Robert Langer
For much of modern medical history, doctors struggled with how to deliver medicines effectively inside the human body and how to repair damaged tissues. Drugs were often given all at once, causing side effects and wearing off too quickly. When organs or tissues were damaged, surgeons relied on donor tissue, simple implants, or mechanical supports. These approaches saved lives, but they were blunt tools. They did not allow precise control over how medicine was released, nor did they truly help the body grow new, healthy tissue.
The Limits of Traditional Materials
Natural materials and traditional methods could only go so far. Society needed safer, longer-lasting treatments and better ways to heal the body rather than just manage disease. Biological and conventional materials had clear limits. Natural tissues were difficult to control and hard to scale. Metals and glass were strong but rigid and incompatible with many biological systems. Medicines delivered in large doses could overwhelm the body rather than help it heal. As chronic diseases increased and medicine grew more sophisticated, it became clear that existing materials could not meet the growing demand for precision, safety, and long-term effectiveness.
Patients needed treatments that could release drugs slowly, rebuild tissue gently, and then disappear once their job was done. Natural materials alone could not provide those additional benefits.
Plastics as Partners in Healing
Dr. Robert Langer changed this reality by re-imagining what plastics could do in medicine. In the 1970s, he demonstrated for the first time that biodegradable polymers could safely deliver large drug molecules over long periods. His work showed that plastics could be engineered to control how, when, and where medicine is released in the body. Recognizing the limits of existing materials, Dr. Langer helped create entirely new biodegradable plastics designed specifically for biomedical use. These polymers became the foundation of controlled drug delivery, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Plastic scaffolds developed in his lab enabled tissue growth in the laboratory, helping launch the field of tissue engineering.
His ideas expanded into vaccines, gene therapies, organ regeneration, and organs-on-a-chip—applications unthinkable without precision-engineered plastics. With over 1,500 patents and hundreds of medical products, his and his team’s work has improved health for millions of people worldwide.
Transforming Healthcare Through Innovation
Dr. Robert Langer’s career shows how plastics, guided by human purpose, can profoundly improve lives. His innovations transformed plastics from passive materials into active partners in healing. Beyond the products and patents, his mentorship has shaped generations of scientists and engineers around the world.
His story reflects the best of the plastic industry: creativity rooted in science, responsibility to society, and a commitment to human health. When thoughtfully designed, plastics do not just support medicine; they help redefine what healing is possible.
