Bioengineering for Better Health: What Future for Targeted Drug Delivery ?

Chaired by MIT Professor Robert Langer, will explore cross-disciplinary approaches to one of the biggest unresolved problems in treating disease: overcoming the complex physiological barriers that inhibit the range, potency, safety and efficacy of drugs and diagnostic devices through new targeted delivery platforms. Panel participants with expertise in medicine, bioengineering, materials science, biology, chemistry, computer science, and physics will discuss emerging innovative drug delivery technologies, including controlled release systems, 3D printing, nanoparticles, microprocessor chips, and tissue regeneration using polymeric biodegradable materials. Progress of these platforms against key diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease will be assessed along with the identification of research, policy and medical practice reforms to advance the interface between these disciplines. The intended result is processes and products that raise the bar on treatment outcomes for patients. Stephen Oesterle, Co-Chair, MD, SVP Medicine & Technology, Medtronic, plc Robert Langer, Co-Chair, PhD, David H. Koch Institute Professor at MIT Cheryl R. Blanchard, PhD, CEO, Microchips Biotech, Inc. Sean Caffey, MD, Co-Founder, Chairman, & CEO of Auricle, LLC. Co-Founder & Chairman of Replenish, Inc. William F. Doyle, Executive Chairman, NovoCure, Ltd. Kevin J. Tracey, MD, President, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Researc