Falling Walls Lab Emerging Talents

Winners of the Pitch Competition in the Category Emerging Talents (Falling Walls Lab)
 

1st Place: Breaking the Wall of Molecular Monotony

Karen de la Vega-Hernández, Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia, Spain

Karen de la Vega-Hernández has developed a novel reagent and skeletal editing strategy that enable the structural and functional diversification of drug molecules at late stages. This breakthrough accelerates drug discovery, allowing rapid and sustainable modification of molecular cores to create new and improved therapeutic candidates.

2nd Place: Breaking the Wall of Solid Tumor Shields

Elena Barba Sarasua, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain

Elena Barba Sarasua’s STAb-T platform redefines cancer immunotherapy by engineering T cells to secrete bispecific antibodies that recruit and activate immune cells against solid tumors. Her research opens the door to multi-targeted, scalable treatments for cancers that are currently difficult to treat.

3rd Place: Breaking the Wall of Rare Disease Therapies

Harry Wilton-Clark, University of Alberta, Canada

Harry Wilton-Clark has designed small molecules that act as genetic “band-aids,” concealing disease-causing mutations to restore healthy gene expression. Collaborating with a young patient with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, his work represents a significant step forward in precision medicine and the development of patient-specific therapies for rare diseases.