On October 26th, 2010 Boston area entrepreneurs, researchers and students had the opportunity to hear Prof. Robert S. Langer of MIT speak at a Legends & Leaders event hosted by TiE-Boston. Over 120 people with standing room only packed into the Newton Marriott ballroom as Langer spoke about Creating and Implementing Breakthrough Medical Technologies and the key ingredients to building successful life science companies.

Langer’s presentation was structured on his scientific discoveries and innovations and how these were the centerpiece of launching companies. Langer, a 30 year veteran of developing drug delivery systems, admitted that his path was not without challenges. Early in his career senior scientists and peers were skeptical of Langer’s experimental results. He was told, “You cannot do that.” But convinced of the scientific rigor and truth in the substance of his research, Langer pursued and filed for his first patent in the 1970’s. The patent process was arduous but Langer persevered and got his first broad scope patent that helped launch his entrepreneurial journey.

One of the stellar examples Langer cited was from his research on drug delivery systems approach for large (biological) molecules, which was against the scientific belief of the time which accepted such delivery systems to be only applicable to small (chemical) molecules. The early research in this case was from his post-doctoral work with Professor Judah Folkman, wherein they had explored novel methods for drug delivery with large molecules. It took an immense effort to get this technology accepted and patented, finally resulting in a broad blocking patent that was filed and led to the successful culmination in starting a biotech enterprise (Enzytech).

Ever since, Langer has had remarkable success at being an innovator, scientist and entrepreneur. He shared his experiences as a founder and the challenges he faced in taking breakthrough technologies from the research lab to the market. The initial resistance by the scientific community to his discoveries and his methodology only made his conviction grow stronger.

He perfected the model of getting the science right, then spinning off a company with graduate students, post-docs, and colleagues; helped and funded by venture networks to build real value for all stakeholders. In specific, Langer spoke about revolutionary inventions that were transformed into companies including Alkermes, Momenta, MicroCHIPS, Transform Pharmaceuticals, BIND Biosciences, AIR and others.

Langer’s entrepreneurial journey and his work offer key takeaways and lessons not just for Life Science entrepreneurs but for all entrepreneurs:

1.      Faced with an industry or academic myth, do not give up.

2.      Persevere

3.      Academic excellence is a must.

4.      Scientific research must have sound fundamentals.

5.      Patent it, if rejected, don’t give up, work on it and get a broad based patent approved.

6.      Scientific findings should be subjected to good peer review, both in publications and patent estate (examples of his such a company was Enzytech/Alkermes - now just Alkermes).

7.      Publish your findings in respected trade journals.

8.      Creating new solutions through scientific rigor will defy myths, which goes to the essence of entrepreneurship (examples of such a company are AIR and Momenta).

   9. Entrepreneurship opportunities are presented through identification of a scientific problem.
  10. Entrepreneurs figure out creative ways to work towards a solution (examples of such a company were MicroCHIPS and TransForm).
  11. While technology is critical the business side is as important. 

Langer highlighted that companies are successful when helmed by a champion who believes in the technology and/or solution and knows that it’s going to work. In that context smaller companies are better for innovation; as it’s easier to push through new and innovative ideas to see the light of day. Large companies are not great harbingers of Intrapreneurship. He emphasized that struggle for funding is common, so entrepreneurs should tap into both public and private or hybrid funding mechanisms for creation and advancement of new technologies.

Langer, who is a pioneer in biotechnology fields of drug delivery systems and tissue engineering, holds more than 600 granted or pending patents and has authored over 1,100 scientific papers. He has commercialized his research into products and founded multiple successful technology companies. To name just a few of his other accomplishments, he won the Charles Stark Draper Prize, the Millennium Prize and over 180 other awards. At MIT, Langer runs the largest biomedical engineering laboratory in the world. Langer imparted valuable lessons to entrepreneurs on what it takes to commercialize research and build a leading company in medical technologies arena at this TiE-Boston event.

 

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