Ülo Langel (born 2 March 1951) is an Estonian biochemist known for research on cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), including work associated with transportan and related intracellular-delivery systems. He is professor emeritus at Stockholm University and the University of Tartu.
Early life and education Langel was born in Tartu. He graduated from the University of Tartu in 1974 with a degree in chemistry and subsequently completed postgraduate work in bioorganic chemistry. In 1980 he earned a candidate of sciences degree with a dissertation on structure–activity relationships in butyrylcholinesterase, and in 1993 he completed a doctorate in biochemistry and neurochemistry, associated with Stockholm University and the University of Tartu, on galanin and galanin antagonists.
Career Langel began his academic career at the University of Tartu in 1974, working first in organic chemistry and later in biochemistry. From 1987 onward he worked at Stockholm University in a succession of research and teaching positions, becoming professor there in 2001; he later headed the university's Department of Neurochemistry. He also held appointments at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California, including as associate professor from 2000 to 2001. According to Stockholm University and the University of Tartu, Langel later became professor emeritus at both institutions. In 2025 he joined the board of Tallinn University of Technology as a member appointed by the Estonian Academy of Sciences.
Research Langel's earlier research was in neurochemistry, particularly neuropeptides such as galanin and their ligands. He later became closely associated with research on CPPs and their use in delivering biologically active molecules across cell membranes. A 2023 review in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences described transportan as a CPP developed by Langel and collaborators and treated it as an early platform for later peptide-based delivery systems. Independent reviews have cited Langel's work repeatedly in discussions of CPP mechanisms, design and biomedical applications. An ERR science feature in 2019 described him as one of the early researchers in shuttle peptides and linked that work to the development of new drug-delivery approaches. In 2023 the journal Pharmaceutics announced a special issue honouring Langel's contribution to the field of CPP research.
Honours and memberships In 2001 Langel was awarded the Order of the White Star, IV class. In 2009 he received the Estonian National Science Prize in chemistry and molecular biology, together with Margus Pooga and collaborators, for a research cycle on intracellular targets. He was elected a member of Academia Europaea in 2013 and became a foreign member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences in 2015.
Selected works Langel, Ülo, ed. (2002). Cell-Penetrating Peptides: Processes and Applications. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8493-1141-3. Langel, Ülo, ed. (2015). Cell-Penetrating Peptides: Methods and Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology. Vol. 1324. New York: Humana Press. pp. v–viii. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-2806-4. ISBN 978-1-4939-2805-7. PMID 26413602. Langel, Ülo (2023). CPP, Cell-Penetrating Peptides (2nd ed.). Cham: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-38731-9. ISBN 978-3-031-38730-2.
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