Episode 8: Professor Sir Steve Jackson

This week the University is celebrating its staff and alumni who have been named in the King’s Birthday Honours, and Biomedical scientist and Leeds alum Professor Steve Jackson is among them. He received a knighthood as part of the King's Birthday Honours List. 

Steve is both a researcher and entrepreneur, and heads up the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, and is a professor of biology at the University.

Alongside his research, he’s a successful entrepreneur and has founded several biomedical sciences startups, one of which developed the so-called cancer wonder drug olaparib, which has been used to treat 75,000 people worldwide. 

The synthetic lethality drug exploits the genetic weakness to kill certain cancer cells, while leaving normal sells unharmed. 

It was our pleasure to interview him in the place where it all started, at the University of Leeds.