Professor Thoas Fioretos is the first recipient of Lunds Innovatörspris (the Lund Innovator Award), a newly established prize that recognises research that has been successfully transformed into innovation with a tangible impact on society and the environment.
Fioretos receives the award for his pioneering work in blood cancer research and his ability to translate scientific discoveries into life-enhancing medical innovations.
"My motivation has always been the same: to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from cancer," says Thoas Fioretos, professor and consultant in clinical genetics.
During his academic career, Fioretos has published over 160 scientific papers on blood cancers. His path into haematological disease research was not planned - he became interested in the subject when new genetic analysis methods made it possible to study why these diseases occur.
When Fioretos, together with researchers at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences, founded their first company in 2007, it was unusual for medical researchers to get involved in commercialisation and innovation and it was something that was sometimes called into question.
Today, this type of academic entrepreneurship is seen as an important part of the researcher's third task, a policy that reflects Sweden's broader commitment to ensuring that academic research has practical relevance.
"Perceptions have changed drastically. Today, researchers are actively encouraged to contribute to societal benefits through innovation. Stronger support functions such as LU Innovation, incubators and Medicon Village in Lund have been developed in a fantastic way and enable research to be transformed more quickly into solutions that reach wider society," says Thoas Fioretos.
The first company he set up, Qlucore AB, develops software for the analysis and visualisation of large biological datasets. Today, the company is publicly listed and its tools are used in over 20 countries, predominantly in the field of cancer research. The software has been cited in more than 1,000 scientific publications.
Fioretos then co-founded Cantargia AB, a publicly listed company that develops antibody therapies for cancer. Canatargia is conducting several clinical studies in the field of cancer and inflammation. More recently, Fioretos and colleagues founded Lead Biologics, focusing on immunotherapies for leukaemia and cancer. Together, the three companies currently employ around 40 people and have raised over SEK 2 billion in capital.
Lund Innovator Award, established by Lund University and Sparbanken Skåne, is to be awarded for the first time this year. The aim is to recognise research that has generated measurable societal benefits, and it is awarded to Fioretos for his unique ability to combine academic excellence with entrepreneurship.
The prize is worth SEK 250,000 and will be awarded on 10 September 2025.
