King's College London

A total of seven researchers, with six from the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, have been recognised in the contest, which seeks to celebrate academics who have transformed ground-breaking discoveries into patient benefit. The goal of the awards, which are organised by the Cancer Research Horizons – the innovation arm of Cancer Research UK - is to inspire a new generation of innovators to tackle cancer with entrepreneurial spirit.

PharosAI, a ground-breaking research collaboration with plans to democratise cancer AI research and accelerate the path to AI-powered cancer care, received significant attention from the judges. The project, which has received £18.9m in funding from the UK government, has been honoured in the ‘New Start-up of the Year’ category. In addition, two of its core members have been shortlisted in other categories in recognition of their work with PharosAI. Professor Anita Grigoriadis, CEO of PharosAI, is in the running for ‘Woman Entrepreneur of the Year’, while Dr Gregory Verghese, Chief Technology Officer, is up for ‘Early-Career Entrepreneur of the Year’.

Four researchers, Professors Maya Thanou, Tim Witney, James Arnold and Dr Mads Bergholt, have been shortlisted for ‘Entrepreneurial Group Leader of the Year’.

Professor Thanou leads spinout Apeikon Therapeutics, which aims to enhance the effectiveness and safety of anti-cancer drugs. When anti-cancer drugs are administered, they go spread around the body, causing patients to suffer lots of side effects. By developing a non-invasive technology that better targets anti-cancer drugs and activates them at the tumour, Apeikon Therapeutics aims to reduce the negative side effects and improve quality of life post-treatment.

Professor Arnold is co-founder and Chief Science Officer of two spinouts: Korecyte Bio and Aethox Therapeutics. Korecyte Bio is pioneering a novel platform approach to enable safer and more effective CAR-T cellular immunotherapies in treating solid cancers, while Aethox Therapeutics utilisers small molecule inhibitors to powerfully increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs. This year, he has also filed two patents with Cancer Research Horizons relating to his work in cell therapy.

Dr Mads Bergholt, based in the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, was shortlisted for his role in the Real-time moLecular dIagnosis of Oral Precancer (LIP), developed in collaboration with Professor Richard Cook from the Oral Clinical Research Unit. The primary focus of this initiative is the early, non-invasive detection of oral cancer. The team has developed an innovative, laser-based diagnostic device that provides real-time ‘optical biopsy’ capabilities, enabling clinicians to assess oral tissues without the need for traditional invasive procedure. The project is now entering a critical validation phase, and is actively recruiting 40 patients to evaluate the device’s effectiveness, marking a significant step towards its clinical adoption.

Professor Tim Witney is co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Nuclide Therapeutics, a spinout co-founded by four King’s colleagues. Nuclide Therapeutics seeks to revolutionise cancer treatment by developing precision radionuclide therapies to detect and treat therapy-resistant cancers. Radionuclide therapies uses very small amounts of radioactivity attached to a drug-like molecule. This agent binds to a protein present only in drug-resistant cancer cells. Once bound to these cells, the radioactive atom then selectively destroys these cells, leaving healthy tissues intact.

Dr Navodini Wijethilake is a passionate researcher and emerging MedTech entrepreneur dedicated to transforming brain tumour care through the power of AI. She is the founder of Medcaliper, a venture focused on developing imaging-based biomarkers to enable personalised brain tumour management. At the heart of Medcaliper is a clinical decision-support tool that automates tumour imaging analysis, equipping clinicians with actionable, data-driven insights to personalise patient care. Through cross-disciplinary collaboration and a clear translational focus, Navodini is committed to closing the gap between academic research and real-world clinical impact.

All the shortlisted nominees have invited to attend the awards ceremony on July 10, 2025, where the winners will be announced. The ceremony provides an opportunity to network with a range of rising stars, seasoned entrepreneurs, industry experts, and inspiring keynotes.