Nicholas A. Peppas
The Power List 2017 – Masters of the Bench
Nicholas A. Peppas
Professor and Director of the Institute for Biomaterials, Drug Delivery and Regenerative Medicine, The University of Texas at Austin
Passion
“What is my passion? First, developing new therapeutic systems based on proteins to treat patients suffering from diabetes, autoimmune diseases and gastrointestinal diseases. Second, developing new patented technologies for the treatment of disease through the identification of potential biomarkers.”
Pivotal moment
“The announcement of the first heart transplantation by Christiaan Barnard at the Groote Sure in Cape Town, South Africa, on December 5, 1967 was an important moment for me – since it affected my career choice. And of course, the development of an “intelligent” polymer (hydrogel) carrier based on a response to external physiological conditions, in my lab in December 1976.”
Change
“I would like to see more support for early efforts to create new treatments, techniques and methods for diseases by spending ‘seed funds’ for these new ideas. In recent years, the pharmaceutical industry has become too conservative in funding new solutions.”
