Arise Sir Tony Kouzarides: STORM founder-director wins knighthood

The accolade recognises his global impact on disease treatment. Professor Kouzarides is a world-leading cancer biologist with a career spanning over 25 years.

STORM Therapeutics was spun out from the University in 2015 by Professor Kouzarides and his colleague Professor Eric Miska, following their groundbreaking work in RNA epigenetics.

Prof Kouzarides and his research group identified the importance of RNA modifications during the development of cancer, opening the pathway for STORM to develop first-in-class drugs targeting this new mechanism.

STORM’s platform, eliciting cellular reprogramming through RNA modification, has potential beyond cancer in areas including neurodegenerative diseases, inflammation and infectious diseases.

Professor Kouzarides said: “I am honoured to receive this award, which reinforces the importance of translating basic research into therapies by engaging academic researchers with healthcare businesses. STORM Therapeutics represents a shining example of this principle.”

Jerry McMahon, STORM’s CEO, added: “We are delighted to see Tony recognised nationally as a pioneer in the field of cellular reprogramming through RNA modification. Receiving this honour from the King is the pinnacle of a tremendous and productive career.

“Tony’s commitment, focus and dedication has been unwavering and we look forward to continuing to work with him as STORM’s programs advance into the clinic as effective treatments for patients.”

In addition to his role at STORM, Professor Kouzarides is Professor of Cancer Biology at the University of Cambridge and a Senior Group Leader at the university’s Gurdon Institute, specialising in developmental biology and cancer biology. He is also the Director and Co-Founder of the Milner Therapeutics Institute at the University of Cambridge, which focuses on building scientific collaborations to transform therapies.

Professor Kouzarides also has his own laboratory in Cambridge, The TK LAB and has been studying epigenetic modifications for many years, starting with the identification of the first human enzymes to modify chromatin in 1996. His lab has identified and characterised many chromatin modification pathways and showed their involvement in cancer. The lab is now investigating the functions of mRNA modifications and their connections to cancer.

In close collaboration with STORM Therapeutics, The Kouzarides Lab is targeting RNA modification pathways with small molecule inhibitors, to develop drugs against cancer and other diseases.

Professor Kouzarides is also the Founder and Director of Cambridge Gravity, an organisation for the promotion of science at the University of Cambridge. He is Founder and Patron of the Spanish cancer charity Vencer el Cancer (Conquer Cancer).

He is co-founder and ex-Director of antibodies and reagents company Abcam, which was sold to the Danaher Corporation for $5.7 billion (£4.5bn) in 2023. He was also Co-Founder and ex-Director of Chroma Therapeutics, a drug discovery company based in Oxford.

Professor Kouzarides is an elected member of the European Molecular Laboratory Organization (EMBO), fellow of the British Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci), fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) and fellow of the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts.

He has also been awarded the Bodossaki Foundation prize in Biology, the Wellcome Trust Award for Research in Biochemistry Related to Medicine, the Tenovus Medal, the Bijvoet Medal, the Biochemical Society Novartis Medal and Prize, the Heinrich Wieland Prize, the Cyprus Excellence in Science Award and the Nemitsas Prize.

Another honours coup for the region came with the award of an OBE to Dr Belinda Clarke, Director of Agri-TechE for services to agri-technologies and farming.

Agri-TechE is a membership network that connects farmers and growers with researchers, technologists, entrepreneurs, and investors. Its agri-tech innovation ecosystem is internationally recognised for the quality of the collaborations catalysed and for its role in accelerating the development and adoption of novel technologies.

Clarke has led the organisation from inception, drawing on her experience of scientific research and knowledge exchange with farmers. She has spent a career working at the interface of government, industry and academia.

She says: “I am humbled and honoured to be awarded an OBE for agri-technologies and farming and would like to pay tribute to the inspiring network, alongside whom I have the daily privilege of working.

“I see this as an accolade not just for myself, but also recognition of the contribution that Agri-TechE members’ world-leading science and innovative farming practices are making towards food security, agricultural productivity, and environmental sustainability of the global agri-food value chain.”