The award, co-sponsored by Brain Tumour Research, recognises outstanding early-career researchers working to advance the field of neuro-oncology in the UK. Michael, an early-career scientist at the Centre for Immuno-Oncology at the University of Oxford, is using computational biology and artificial intelligence to support the development of new cancer vaccine approaches for brain tumours.
His research focuses on designing personalised and off-the-shelf cancer vaccines for patients with brain cancer. By developing models that identify tumour targets most likely to generate an effective immune response, the work aims to account for the unique biology of glioma, including the ways in which reduced antigen processing can make tumours harder for the immune system to recognise.
Michael's work also explores which treatments may be most effective in combination with vaccination, with the long-term aim of informing more precise and effective therapeutic strategies for patients.
Commenting on the award, Michael said: "It is encouraging to see computational biology recognised as an important part of the future of neuro-oncology."
He added that the recognition reflects the work of many people, including colleagues at the Centre for Immuno-Oncology and the Mair Lab at the University of Cambridge.
This award is an important recognition of the growing role of AI, computational biology and immunology in shaping the future of cancer vaccine research.
