The prize recognises the research work of Sánchez, ICREA Research Professor at IBEC. These awards, presented by the Valencian Foundation Rei Jaume I Awards, aim to bring science and business closer together in order to promote research, scientific development and entrepreneurship in Spain.
This week, the juries selected the winners of the seven categories in which the prizes awarded by the Valencian Foundation Rei Jaume I Awards are divided. Among the winners of this 38th edition is Samuel Sánchez, ICREA research professor at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), who received the award in the New Technologies category.
These awards, which aim to bring science and business closer together in order to promote research, scientific development and entrepreneurship in Spain, recognise people whose work is of great importance and has largely been developed in the country. The winners receive a cash prize of 100,000 euros with the commitment to reinvest part of it in research and entrepreneurship in Spain.
The award recognises the research work of Sánchez, principal investigator of IBEC’s Smart nano-bio-devices group. His work has opened up a new technological avenue at the intersection of nanotechnology, robotics, and medicine. This has enabled biological barriers to be overcome and improved the targeted delivery of treatments for complex diseases.
One of his most notable contributions is the development of therapeutic nanorobots for treating bladder cancer. These nanorobots can deliver drugs or radionuclides directly to tumours. His work has achieved reductions in tumour volume of over 90% in experimental models, representing a decisive step towards new precision medicine strategies.
This research led to the establishment of Nanobots Therapeutics, a spin-off company from IBEC and ICREA founded by Sánchez, who now serves as its CSO. The company is translating this technology into real-world clinical applications through its MotionTx platform.
The Rei Jaume I Awards were announced on 2 June in a formal ceremony at the Palau de la Generalitat, presided over by the President of the Consell, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, and attended by the Executive President, Javier Quesada, and the President of the Rei Jaume I Awards Foundation, Vicente Boluda. The event was attended by the board of trustees of the Fundación Valenciana Premios Rei Jaume I, the juries of the seven prizes and representatives of the collaborators.
The other award winners were Lluís Torner Sabata, Basic Research category; Nagore Iriberri Etxebeste, Economics category; Ben Lehner, Biomedical Research category; Alfonso Sáiz-López, Environmental Protection category; Borja Vázquez Piñero, Emerging Entrepreneur category; and Borja Ibáñez Cabeza, Clinical Research and Public Health category.
The official presentation of the Rei Jaume I Awards will take place in November at a ceremony in Valencia.
