UCL cancer researcher honoured with Blavatnik Award

Nicholas McGranahan Dr Nicholas McGranahan, a computational biologist from UCL Cancer Institute, has been named the Life Sciences Laureate at the 2024 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists in the UK. The awards, announced by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and The New York Academy of Sciences , recognise research that is transforming medicine, technology, and our understanding of the world in Chemical Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Life Sciences. The nine recipients were awarded a share of grants totalling £480,000. Dr McGranahan, whose research explores how to harness evolutionary principles to understand cancers and why tumours are so difficult to treat, was named Life Sciences Laureate. His work also aims to understand why and how tumours spread to other parts of the body and to explore the interaction between cancer and the immune system. His research is intended to inform clinical decision-making, identify determinants of treatment resistance, and promote the development of personalized immunotherapies. Dr McGranahan said: "I feel incredibly honoured that our work has been recognised with this prestigious award, particularly given the calibre of previous awardees.