Prof. Li Tang from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland has obtained the 2025 Stanisław Lem European Research Prize (Lem Prize). The award committee acknowledged his groundbreaking discoveries associated to the functioning of the immune system in combating most cancers.
The Stanisław Lem European Research Prize (Lem Prize), price 100,000 PLN, has been awarded by Wrocław University of Science and Technology for the fifth time. It is granted to younger researchers (as much as 40 years outdated) learning or conducting analysis in the European Union or related nations.
The worldwide committee, chaired by Prof. Maciej Lewenstein (The Institute of Photonic Sciences, Barcelona), evaluates candidates’ latest discoveries or vital achievements in broadly understood fields of science and engineering, with sturdy parts of expertise, interdisciplinarity, creativity, and imaginative and prescient.
The winner of the 2025 version was introduced throughout the Wrocław Tech Festival by the rector, Prof. Arkadiusz Wójs. Following the committee’s determination, the prize was awarded to Prof. Li Tang from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland for the venture “A Paradigm Shift in Cancer Immunotherapy: Harnessing Type 2 Immunity for Curative and Accessible Therapies”.
Prof. Li Tang’s analysis brings new insights into how T cells reply to immunomodulatory cytokines akin to IL-10 and IL-4, a course of that had not been totally understood. T cells are a key part of the immune system. They are white blood cells that assist the physique struggle illness. The crew of the 2025 Lem Prize laureate has found new properties of these cells, serving to scientists higher perceive how they acknowledge and destroy most cancers cells. This is a vital step towards creating simpler most cancers therapies that harness the physique’s pure protection mechanisms—immunotherapy.
As a scientist working in the subject of immuno-engineering and most cancers immunotherapy, I’m impressed on daily basis by the concept that science and creativeness collectively can increase the boundaries of what’s potential for human well being.This additionally properly echoes the spirit of Stanisław Lem.
“As a scientist working in the fields of immunoengineering and cancer immunotherapy, I’m inspired by the idea that science and imagination together can expand the boundaries of what is possible in human health. This also well echoes the spirit of Stanisław Lem,” stated Prof. Li Tang in a message addressed to the Wrocław Tech neighborhood. “I dedicate this award to my team, my collaborators—especially clinicians and patients—and to all who believe that science guided by imagination can shape a better world”.
Prof. Li Tang will obtain the award in particular person in 2026. During a particular ceremony at Wrocław University of Science and Technology, he will probably be offered with a statuette created by famend artist Prof. Przemysław Tyszkiewicz.
Prof. Li Tang obtained his B.S. in Chemistry from Peking University, China, in 2007, and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, in 2012, beneath the supervision of Prof. Jianjun Cheng.
He was a CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Prof. Darrell Irvine at Massachusetts Institute of Technology throughout 2013-2016.
He joined the college of Institute of Bioengineering, and Institute of Materials Science & Engineering, at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, as a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in 2016, and promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2022.
He is at the moment the Vice Dean for Innovation and Director of Innovate4Life program at School of Life Sciences, EPFL.
His analysis focuses on creating multidimensional immunoengineering approaches for enhanced most cancers immunotherapies.
The central paradigm of most cancers immunotherapy for many years has been the unique concentrate on “type 1” immunity. While highly effective, this method has inherent limitations, leaving many sufferers with relapsed or incurable illness.
The Tang lab found {that a} fully totally different, and largely uncared for, arm of the immune system—sort 2 immunity—holds the key to attaining lasting cures. The IL-10-expressing CD19 CAR-T cells they developed have achieved breakthrough scientific efficacy at extraordinarily low doses in a number of on-going Phase 1 scientific trials.
Dr. Tang is the recipient of Friedrich Miescher Award (2025) from Life Sciences Switzerland (LS2), Leenaards Prize for Translational Medical Research (2025), Biomaterials Science Lectureship (2025), CAB Mid-Career Investigator Award (2024), Biomaterials Award for Young Investigators (2024), Cancer Research Institute CLIP Award (2021), Anna Fuller Award (2021 and 2022), European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant Award (2018), and named in the MIT Technology Review’s “Top 35 Innovators under Age 35” record of China area (2020).
The Stanisław Lem European Science Prize (Lem Prize) was established to commemorate the centenary of the delivery of the eminent Polish science fiction novelist, who obtained an honorary doctorate from Wrocław University of Science and Technology in 1981. Each yr, the laureate is chosen by a chapter composed of outstanding teachers from overseas and the Wrocław University of Science and Technology and Tomasz Lem, the author’s son.
Benefactors of the Lem Prize 2024: Bergman Engineering, PCC Group, KGHM Polska Miedź and Impel Group.
Previous winners of the Lem Prize:
2021 – prof. Randall J. Platt (ETH w Zürich),
2022 – prof. Samuel Stranks (University of Cambridge),