Elazer Edelman

Elazer R. Edelman is the Edward J. Poitras Professor in Medical Engineering and Science at MIT, where he directs the Institute of Medical Engineering and Science. He is also a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and a cardiac intensive care unit cardiologist at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston.

Edelman received Bachelor of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and in Applied Biology, a Master of Science Bioelectrical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics from MIT, and a M.D. from Harvard Medical School. Graduate work with Robert Langer defined the mathematics of regulated drug delivery systems. After internal medicine training and clinical fellowship in Cardiovascular Medicine at BWH, he was Research Fellow in Pathology at Harvard Medical School with Morris Karnovsky investigating the biology of vascular repair.

His research interests meld medical and scientific training leveraging pathophysiologic insight to improve clinical decision-making and device design. Studies of endothelial and vascular biology led to discovery of the mutable dynamic of endothelial state and importance in regulation of vascular diseases and cancer. His group reasoned that optimal control of biologic events recapitulated natural regulation. Hence, polymeric controlled drug delivery systems should mimic natural release and vascular implants devised with intimate knowledge of injury they induce. Perivascular and stent-based drug delivery, mechanical organ support and percutaneous heart valves are examples of the former, and therapeutic tissue engineered endothelial cell constructs of the latter.

More than 350 students and fellows have passed through Edelman’s laboratory publishing over 900 scientific articles and 90 patents.

Edelman is fellow of American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, Association of University Cardiologists, American Society of Clinical Investigation, American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Inventors, National Academy of Medicine, and National Academy of Engineering. As Chief Scientific Advisor of Science: Translational Medicine he has set the tone for the national debate on translational research and innovation. As co-founder of ASTM F04.03 he helped create standards for cardiovascular implants. He served on FDA’s Science Board and as ORISE fellow FDA EIR. For bringing cardiovascular translational research to an international level of excellence, the Spanish Parliament and King awarded Edelman the Spanish Order of Civil Merit. Most importantly, Elazer is an avid ice hockey goalie, and with his wife Cheryl, parents to comedian-writer Alexander, Olympic athlete AJ, and Austin.