SPECIAL ISSUE: TRIBUTE TO ROBERT LANGER AND NICHOLAS PEPPAS
In this Special Issue of Bioengineering & Translational Medicine, we honor two luminaries
in the AIChE community who pioneered the field of drug delivery and biomaterials,
Professors Robert Langer, and Nicholas Peppas. These two giants, born within 4 days
of each other in two different continents, met during their graduate school at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and have since been collectively championing
the field. Professor Peppas is currently the Cockrell Family Regents Chaired Professorship
in Engineering, Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Texas, Austin and Professor
Langer is currently the David H. Koch Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology.
Thanks to the pioneering efforts of these two individuals, drug delivery and biomaterials
are now integral elements of Chemical Engineering research and education. The early
contributions from these two pioneers established the very foundation of the field.
Professor Langer established for the first time that proteins could be encapsulated
in polymeric matrices and released in a sustained manner.1 Professor Peppas published
several seminal papers establishing the quantitative principles for describing drug
release from porous matrices and hydrogels.2 They both went on to make numerous groundbreaking
contributions which have introduced new concepts in bioengineering, novel materials
for biomedical applications, and new fundamental insights into biological systems.
Together, their efforts have shaped the scholastic, academic, and technological landscape
of drug delivery and biomaterials as we know today. Their pioneering contributions
have also paved the way for the societies and journals that have further advanced
the field. Individually, their impact on the field, as measured by any quantifiable
means such as publications, citations, or patents is truly remarkable. However, when
one looks at it collectively, the numbers are simply mind‐boggling and indicative
of a truly remarkable time in the history of the field.
AIChE and SBE have been deeply appreciative and grateful for the contributions of
Professors Peppas and Langer. Over the years, AIChE has celebrated Professors Peppas
and Langer with its most prestigious awards that include the Founders Award for Outstanding
Contributions to Chemical Engineering, William H. Walker Award, Institute Lecturer,
Food, Pharmaceuticals and Bioengineering Award, and the Materials Engineering and
Sciences Award from AIChE as well as the Jay Bailey Award from SBE. Most notably,
both were listed among the “One Hundred Chemical Engineers of the Modern Era by AIChE”
on the occasion of the AIChE centennial.
While the scholarly impact of Professors Langer and Peppas is transformative, we make
a particular note of their dedication to mentoring students and post‐docs. Over the
past 42 years, Professors Langer and Peppas have tirelessly recruited and mentored
a large number of trainees who are advancing various frontiers of bioengineering and
biotechnology in their own ways in academia as well as industry. Fittingly, this special
issue features articles from some of their past students, as well as their colleagues
and admirers.
Professor Peppas' and Langer's pioneering research, along with their active and inspiring
leadership has advanced the visibility of drug delivery and biomaterials in the scientific
landscape, especially within Chemical Engineering, and has inspired young professionals
to follow their paths. The work featured in this issue provides a snapshot of the
exciting work that has been inspired by them.
MAINTAINING STEM CELLS PROPERTIES AFTER SERIAL EXPANSION
Human mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (hMSCs) have the potential to differentiate into
various cell types that include bone, fat, muscle, and epithelial cells. hMSCs can
also secrete cytokines and chemokines that control immune responses and thus promote
wound healing. As such, hMSC are studied in clinical trials for treatment of graft
versus host disease, myocardial infarctions, and tissue regeneration; this highlights
the utility and potential of hMSCs in improving clinical care for a number of diseases/disorders.
A significant challenge that has limited hMSC use beyond clinical trials are the issues
related to changes in therapeutic function of hMSCs following ex vivo expansion. Since
human studies require upward of millions of cells per kg, approaches to understand
and control hMSC function during ex vivo expansion are needed. In this issue of Bioengineering
& Translational Medicine, a team of engineers led by Professor Kristi Anseth in the
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder,
report a novel approach to rescue hMSC regenerative properties after culture and passaging
on standard polystyrene substrates. Specifically, hMSCs proliferation rates, mechanosensing
ability, cell surface marker expression, and secretory profiles that were diminished
following culture on polystyrene could be recovered when subsequently cultured on
soft poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels.
DOI: 10.1002/btm2.10104
DECELLULARIZED EXTRACELLULAR MATRICES FOR BONE AND CARTILAGE ENGINEERING
Recreating the complex tissue environment that exists in bone or cartilage has limited
regenerative therapies for bone/cartilage injuries. Although synthetic materials can
recreate key aspects of these tissues, there remains a significant challenge in sufficiently
mimicking their complexities. Researchers from the lab of Professor Antonios Mikos
in the Department of Bioengineering at Rice University, review how decellularization
of the extracellular matrix in bone and cartilage can be used to form scaffolds, particles,
and facilitate the secretion of supplementary factors for improved bone and cartilage
tissue engineering. This review highlights approaches to achieve decellularization,
postdecellularization processing methods, applications of decellularized extracellular
matrices, and concludes with limitations and future areas of interest for the use
of decellularized extracellular matrices in tissue engineering.
DOI: 10.1002/btm2.10110