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  3. CI scientists shortlisted for Innovation &…

Institute researchers and spin-out companies have been shortlisted for the Cancer Research Horizons Innovation & Entrepreneurship Awards.

The Awards recognise the UK’s most innovative efforts to translate research discoveries into benefits for cancer patients.

Early-career Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Dr Dario Bressan, Dr Stephanie Mack, and Dr Mireia Crispin have all been shortlisted for the Early-career Entrepreneur of the Year Award. This award celebrates early-career cancer researchers who have shown entrepreneurial initiative and attitude. The winner will receive £5,000 for learning and development, including mentorship, coaching, or professional courses.

Dr Dario Bressan

Dr Bressan is the Head of the IMAXT Laboratory and was nominated for his work on two startup companies: Suil Ltd and Elyx Ltd.

Suil Ltd is a part of the IMAXT Cancer Grand Challenge, created to produce Virtual Reality software to unlock the power of big data in biology, allowing scientists and doctors to more easily analyse large datasets.

Elyx Ltd was co-founded by Dr Dario Bressan, along with Institute researchers Prof Sir Shankar Balasubramanian, Prof Greg Hannon, and Dr Benjamin Czech. The company is based on a new technology for spatial profiling, called BALI, which allows researchers to measure the molecular makeup of tissues in space to understand the interactions between cells and how they contribute to normal function and disease.

Dr Stephanie Mack

Dr Mack joined the Institute in 2019 as a postdoctoral researcher in the Pre-clinical Genome Editing Core Facility. During her time here, she co-developed novel technology to address a major challenge in gene editing called mosaicism. This technology is the foundation for spin-out company Zygosity, where she is now the Director of Platform.

Dr Mireia Crispin

Dr Crispin undertook her postdoctoral research in the Markowetz Group before starting her own research lab in the Department of Oncology last year. She has been shortlisted for her entrepreneurial work as Chief Digital Officer of 52North. 52North is currently focused on its first product, NeutroCheck®, which will enable the early identification of patients with neutropenic sepsis, a life-threatening complication of chemotherapy. By simply halving the delays in antibiotics, early detection could prevent 50,000 unnecessary A&E visits in the UK and save the NHS ~£70 million every year.

New Startup of the Year

Elyx Ltd has been shortlisted for the New Startup of the Year Award. This award celebrates companies fast-tracking their scientific breakthroughs into treatments, diagnostics, and medical devices that could benefit cancer patients. Shortlisted companies will have demonstrated ground-breaking technology and the potential to deliver growth and impact in the cancer sector. The winning entry will receive £15,000 to support the development of their startup.

Elyx Ltd

Elyx Ltd was founded by Institute scientists Prof Greg Hannon, Prof Sir Shankar Balasubramanian, Dr Dario Bressan, and Dr Benjamin Czech. It is based on new technology for spatial profiling that allows scientists to measure the molecular makeup of tissues in space with higher throughput and resolution than ever before, to help researchers understand interactions between cells.

Startup Achievement of the Year Award

Startup companies Cyted and Faeth Therapeutics have both been shortlisted for the Startup Achievement of the Year Award, celebrating companies that have achieved substantial milestones during the previous two years. Milestones could include pipeline developments, closure of financing rounds, and entering strategic partnerships. The winning entry will receive £15,000 for staff development, training, studentships, and internship programmes.

Cyted

Dr Marcel Gehrung co-founded Cyted during his PhD studies in our Markowetz Group. The company provides novel diagnostic tests to drive the early detection of cancer. Using sampling technologies and AI-driven biomarkers, Cyted hope to unlock clinical insights and improve patient outcomes. The company wants to change the patient journey for upper gastrointestinal disease management through their unique clinical pathway and biomarker data platform.

Faeth Therapeutics

Institute Director Prof Greg Hannon co-founded Faeth Therapeutics to use metabolism and precision nutrition to help treat cancer. Faeth is a data-driven, evidence-based company with a deep mechanistic understanding of how dietary nutrients influence tumour growth and cancer treatment. They are focused on matching specific diets with tumour genotypes and treatment regimens to improve the outcomes of cancer therapy.

The winners of each category will be announced at the annual awards ceremony on 6 December at The Royal Society, London.