UCL cancer researcher wins international prize for translational medicine

Established in 1986, the Louis-Jeantet Prizes annually recognise leading scientific researchers based within Council of Europe member states for outstanding work in the field of biomedical research.

Professor Charles Swanton will be awarded the Jeantet-Collen Prize for Translational Medicine, an award with particular focus on research close to practical application in combating illnesses affecting humankind.

With 90% of the prize value intended to fund the continuation of the winners’ research, the prize comes as a big boost to Professor Swanton’s research in cancer genetics and evolution, which is leading to new insights into how tumours evolve, spread, and develop resistance to drugs.

Throughout his career, Professor Swanton has changed the way the world understands cancer by demonstrating the disease as an evolutionary process. As Chair of Personalised Medicine at UCL and group leader at the UCL Cancer Institute and the Francis Crick Institute, as well as chief clinician at Cancer Research UK and consultant at UCLH, Professor Swanton continues to be a pioneering force in the field of cancer research.

On receiving the news, Professor Swanton said: “I am delighted to have been awarded this prestigious prize.

“Cancer research is team science and this award reflects the incredible work of my lab members and many colleagues at the Crick, UCL and Manchester and contributors across the world, and most importantly long-term funding support from Cancer Research UK, the Crick and the Rosetrees Trust.”

Professor Tariq Enver, Institute Director of UCL Cancer Institute, said:

““I would like to offer my warmest congratulations to Charlie on behalf of everyone at the UCL Cancer Institute.” “I am delighted that Charlie’s vital research into the forces that affect an evolving cancer have been recognised in a way that will continue the development of better tests and treatments for cancer patients.”

Professor Swanton receives the prize alongside Professor Dirk Görlich, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen, Germany. Professor Swanton and Professor Görlich will both receive their awards at a ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland in April 2024.

Links

• 2024 Louis-Jeantet prize winners announcement
• Professor Charles Swanton’s academic profile
• UCL Cancer Institute
• The Francis Crick Institute

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• Professor Charles Swanton