2026 Innovators in Science Award: Takeda and Nature Name Grand Prize Winner

Takeda and Nature Announce Grand Prize Winner for 2026 Innovators in Science Award

April 9, 2026

Award honors Dr. Myriam Chalabi for bold, practice-changing research that has the potential to fundamentally transform how colorectal cancer is treated

OSAKA, Japan and CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, April 9, 2026

At a gala event held in Boston, Massachusetts on April 9, Takeda and Nature announced the grand prize winner for the 2026 Innovators in Science Award – Myriam Chalabi, M.D., Ph.D., a medical oncologist at the Netherlands Cancer Institute. The gala convened leaders from the global life science community, academia, non-profit organizations and beyond, with Takeda awarding Dr. Chalabi a total of $250,000 in unrestricted funds.

Originally launched in 2016, the Innovators in Science Award celebrates groundbreaking research with a focus on emerging scientific leaders who are advancing the frontiers of scientific discovery and fostering innovation that has the potential to transform lives.

Evaluated by an independent judging panel convened by Nature Awards, Dr. Chalabi was selected from a pool of nine finalists across three therapeutic areas: Gastrointestinal and Inflammatory Diseases, Neuroscience and Oncology. Dr. Chalabi, along with all nine shortlisted finalists, will receive a 12-month career development program administered by Nature, designed to build skills and address the unique challenges and opportunities facing emerging scientific leaders.

As a physician-scientist, Dr. Chalabi’s research has helped reshape the treatment pathway for patients with mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) colon cancer, a biologically defined subtype of bowel cancer. Her work has challenged prevailing clinical practice and redefined the standard of care for this subset of colorectal cancer patients. Dr. Chalabi’s clinical studies^1-3 have demonstrated that immune checkpoint therapy administered prior to surgery can eliminate the cancer in nearly all cases and keep patients disease-free years later—often avoiding the need for more toxic and burdensome treatments. By generating rigorous evidence that “less can be more,” her work is already changing clinical guidelines and offering patients a shorter, safer path to long-term recovery.

“The Innovators in Science Award was created to spotlight scientific courage and the kind of boundary-pushing thinking that can ultimately change the trajectory of human health. This year’s grand prize recognizes the culmination of that vision,” said Andrew Plump, M.D., Ph.D., President of R&D at Takeda. “In oncology especially, where physicians and researchers have weathered decades of setbacks, advancing patient care demands not just technical rigor but boldness, imagination and an unwavering belief that better outcomes are possible. Dr. Myriam Chalabi’s pioneering work exemplifies this spirit. It is the type of transformative science that reminds us why we must continue our relentless pursuit of innovation—for patients, for families, and for the future of medicine.”

“Dr. Chalabi is an eminent oncologist and clinician scientist, recognized for her pioneering work in neoadjuvant immunotherapy. She has already made significant progress in shaping how a form of colorectal cancer is treated, through both her research and scientific communication, and we are delighted to recognize these achievements with this award.” said Victoria Aranda, chair of the grand prize judging panel and deputy editor at Nature. “As part of the awards program, Dr. Chalabi and her fellow awardees will also take part in a 12-month career development program, providing a platform to further support professional growth across leadership, research impact and networking.”

“Receiving this award is a tremendous honor, and I’m sincerely grateful to Takeda and Nature for this recognition. It celebrates bold, unconventional thinking and the impact of our high risk translational and neoadjuvant immunotherapy research that has helped shift the treatment paradigm in colon cancer,” said Dr. Chalabi. “I share this award with the clinicians, researchers and collaborators who made this work possible, and above all, with the patients whose participation is the foundation of every advance.”

About the Innovators in Science Award

Launched in 2016, the Takeda Innovators in Science Award provides scientific leaders with the support and recognition needed to drive bold, transformative breakthroughs in their fields. Since its inception, the award has celebrated the outstanding contributions of established and early-career researchers with $2M of unrestricted funding. This global award recognizes researchers who are advancing the frontiers of scientific discovery, fostering innovation that has the potential to transform lives. In 2026, the Innovators in Science Award honors groundbreaking research by early-career scientists in Gastrointestinal and Inflammatory Diseases, Neuroscience and Oncology. For more information, visit https://innovatorsinscienceaward.com.

About Takeda

Takeda is focused on creating better health for people and a brighter future for the world. We aim to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments in our core therapeutic and business areas, including gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines. Together with our partners, we aim to improve the patient experience and advance a new frontier of treatment options through our dynamic and diverse pipeline. As a leading values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, we are guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Our employees in approximately 80 countries and regions are driven by our purpose and are grounded in the values that have defined us for more than two centuries. For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com.

About Nature Portfolio

Nature Portfolio’s high-quality products and services across the life, physical, chemical and applied sciences are dedicated to serving the scientific community.

Nature (founded in 1869) is the leading, international weekly journal of science. Nature Portfolio is also home to the Nature research and Nature Reviews journals, the leading open access multidisciplinary journal Nature Communications, and open access journals including Scientific Reports. Together, these journals publish some of the world's most significant scientific discoveries.

Online, nature.com provides over nine million unique visitors per month with Nature Portfolio content, including news and comment from Nature, and the leading scientific jobs board, Nature Careers. Nature Portfolio also offers a range of researcher services, including online and in-person training and expert language and editing services. For more information, please visit nature.com and follow @Nature. Nature Portfolio is part of Springer Nature.

References:

Chalabi, M. et al. Neoadjuvant immunotherapy leads to pathological responses in MMR-proficient and MMR-deficient early-stage colon cancers. Nature Medicine 26, 566–576 (2020).
Chalabi, M. et al. Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy in Locally Advanced Mismatch Repair–Deficient Colon Cancer. NEJM 390, 1949–1958 (2024).
Tan, P.B. et al. Neoadjuvant immunotherapy in mismatch-repair-proficient colon cancers. Nature 648, 726–735 (2025).

*Award honors Dr. Myriam Chalabi for bold, practice-changing research that has the potential to fundamentally transform how colorectal cancer is treated* OSAKA, Japan and CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, April 9, 2026 At a gala event held in Boston, Massachusetts on April 9, Takeda and *Nature* announced the grand prize winner for the 2026 Innovators in Science Award – Myriam Chalabi, M.D., Ph.D., a medical oncologist at the Netherlands Cancer Institute. The gala convened leaders from the global life science community, academia, non-profit organizations and beyond, with Takeda awarding Dr. Chalabi a total of $250,000 in unrestricted funds. Originally launched in 2016, the Innovators in Science Award celebrates groundbreaking research with a focus on emerging scientific leaders who are advancing the frontiers of scientific discovery and fostering innovation that has the potential to transform lives. Evaluated by an independent judging panel convened by Nature Awards, Dr. Chalabi was selected from a pool of [nine finalists](https://group.springernature.com/gp/group/media/press-releases/innovators-in-science-shortlist-2026/27840084) across three therapeutic areas: Gastrointestinal and Inflammatory Diseases, Neuroscience and Oncology. Dr. Chalabi, along with all nine shortlisted finalists, will receive a 12-month career development program administered by *Nature*, designed to build skills and address the unique challenges and opportunities facing emerging scientific leaders. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Chalabi’s research has helped reshape the treatment pathway for patients with mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR) colon cancer, a biologically defined subtype of bowel cancer. Her work has challenged prevailing clinical practice and redefined the standard of care for this subset of colorectal cancer patients. Dr. Chalabi’s clinical studies<sup>1-3</sup> have demonstrated that immune checkpoint therapy administered prior to surgery can eliminate the cancer in nearly all cases and keep patients disease-free years later—often avoiding the need for more toxic and burdensome treatments. By generating rigorous evidence that “less can be more,” her work is already changing clinical guidelines and offering patients a shorter, safer path to long-term recovery. “The Innovators in Science Award was created to spotlight scientific courage and the kind of boundary-pushing thinking that can ultimately change the trajectory of human health. This year’s grand prize recognizes the culmination of that vision,” said Andrew Plump, M.D., Ph.D., President of R&D at Takeda. “In oncology especially, where physicians and researchers have weathered decades of setbacks, advancing patient care demands not just technical rigor but boldness, imagination and an unwavering belief that better outcomes are possible. Dr. Myriam Chalabi’s pioneering work exemplifies this spirit. It is the type of transformative science that reminds us why we must continue our relentless pursuit of innovation—for patients, for families, and for the future of medicine.” “Dr. Chalabi is an eminent oncologist and clinician scientist, recognized for her pioneering work in neoadjuvant immunotherapy. She has already made significant progress in shaping how a form of colorectal cancer is treated, through both her research and scientific communication, and we are delighted to recognize these achievements with this award.” said Victoria Aranda, chair of the grand prize judging panel and deputy editor at *Nature*. “As part of the awards program, Dr. Chalabi and her fellow awardees will also take part in a 12-month career development program, providing a platform to further support professional growth across leadership, research impact and networking.” “Receiving this award is a tremendous honor, and I’m sincerely grateful to Takeda and *Nature* for this recognition. It celebrates bold, unconventional thinking and the impact of our high risk translational and neoadjuvant immunotherapy research that has helped shift the treatment paradigm in colon cancer,” said Dr. Chalabi. “I share this award with the clinicians, researchers and collaborators who made this work possible, and above all, with the patients whose participation is the foundation of every advance.” ## About the Innovators in Science Award Launched in 2016, the Takeda Innovators in Science Award provides scientific leaders with the support and recognition needed to drive bold, transformative breakthroughs in their fields. Since its inception, the award has celebrated the outstanding contributions of established and early-career researchers with $2M of unrestricted funding. This global award recognizes researchers who are advancing the frontiers of scientific discovery, fostering innovation that has the potential to transform lives. In 2026, the Innovators in Science Award honors groundbreaking research by early-career scientists in Gastrointestinal and Inflammatory Diseases, Neuroscience and Oncology. For more information, visit [https://innovatorsinscienceaward.com](https://innovatorsinscienceaward.com). ## About Takeda Takeda is focused on creating better health for people and a brighter future for the world. We aim to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments in our core therapeutic and business areas, including gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines. Together with our partners, we aim to improve the patient experience and advance a new frontier of treatment options through our dynamic and diverse pipeline. As a leading values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, we are guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Our employees in approximately 80 countries and regions are driven by our purpose and are grounded in the values that have defined us for more than two centuries. For more information, visit [https://www.takeda.com](https://www.takeda.com/). ## About Nature Portfolio Nature Portfolio’s high-quality products and services across the life, physical, chemical and applied sciences are dedicated to serving the scientific community. *Nature* (founded in 1869) is the leading, international weekly journal of science. Nature Portfolio is also home to the Nature research and Nature Reviews journals, the leading open access multidisciplinary journal *Nature Communications*, and open access journals including *Scientific Reports*. Together, these journals publish some of the world's most significant scientific discoveries. Online, [nature.com](https://www.nature.com/) provides over nine million unique visitors per month with Nature Portfolio content, including news and comment from *Nature*, and the leading scientific jobs board, Nature Careers. Nature Portfolio also offers a range of researcher services, including online and in-person training and expert language and editing services. For more information, please visit [nature.com](https://www.nature.com/) and follow [@Nature](https://x.com/Nature). Nature Portfolio is part of Springer Nature. ## References: 1. Chalabi, M. *et al*. [Neoadjuvant immunotherapy leads to pathological responses in MMR-proficient and MMR-deficient early-stage colon cancers](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0805-8). *Nature Medicine* **26**, 566–576 (2020). 2. Chalabi, M. *et al*. [Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy in Locally Advanced Mismatch Repair–Deficient Colon Cancer](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2400634). *NEJM* **390**, 1949–1958 (2024). 3. Tan, P.B. *et al*. [Neoadjuvant immunotherapy in mismatch-repair-proficient colon cancers](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09679-4). *Nature* **648**, 726–735 (2025).