Targeting cancer cells with precision: Portuguese researcher selected as finalist for the European Inventor Award 2026

• Paula Videira and her team developed L2A5, a highly specific antibody that distinguishes cancer cells from healthy tissue
• The invention targets with unprecedented precision, opening new possibilities for cancer diagnostics and therapies
• The Portuguese team is one of the three finalists in the ‘Research’ category. The winners will be announced during the Award ceremony on 2 July 2026 in Berlin
• Public voting for the Popular Prize opens today and will be running until the ceremony on 2 July 2026

Munich, 12 May 2026 –Accurately distinguishing cancer cells from healthy tissue remains one of the central challenges in oncology, limiting the effectiveness of both diagnosis and treatment. Biotechnology researcher Paula Videira, full professor at the NOVA School of Science and Technology in Lisbon | NOVA FCT and director of UCIBIO research unit, and her team have developed L2A5, a highly specific antibody that recognises molecular signatures found on cancer cells but absent or inaccessible in healthy tissue. By targeting tumour-associated sugar molecules with unprecedented precision, the invention opens new possibilities for more selective cancer diagnostics and therapies. For this work, Videira and her team have been selected as finalists in the ‘Research’ category of the European Inventor Award 2026 by an independent jury.

Distinguishing tumour cells from healthy tissue

Cancer continues to be one of the most serious public health challenges in Europe. According to the European Commission, the EU recorded an estimated 2.7 million new cancer cases in 2024, making cancer the second leading cause of death overall and the leading cause of death for people under 65.

One of the key difficulties in cancer diagnostics and treatment is identifying molecular features that clearly distinguish tumour cells from healthy tissue. Cancer cells often display altered sugar molecules, known as glycans, on their surface. While these glycans can act as disease markers, similar structures may also be present in normal cells, making selective targeting without harming healthy tissue extremely challenging.

Videira’s team addressed this challenge by developing L2A5, an antibody that recognises a tumour-associated glycans in a specific configuration that is exposed on cancer cells but absent or inaccessible in healthy tissue. This molecular selectivity allows the antibody to bind to malignant cells while sparing healthy ones, enabling a level of precision that earlier approaches were unable to achieve.

“There was no single ‘eureka’ moment. It was a build-up. Each experiment gave us more confidence. However, when we observed our antibody binding to tumour tissue but not to healthy tissue, that’s when we realised the therapeutic potential of our invention,” said Videira.

Sustaining long-term cancer research

The research behind L2A5 was driven by long-term academic investigation into cancer-associated glycobiology, an area known for its complexity and high failure rates. Progress required years of experimentation, refinement and validation, often with uncertain outcomes.

Despite these challenges, Videira and her team persisted, combining fundamental research with a clear vision for medical application and partnering with NOVA University Lisbon, the Instituto Português de Oncologia Francisco Gentil and Helmholtz‑Zentrum Dresden‑Rossendorf. The result is a patented antibody with strong potential for use in cancer diagnostics and as a foundation for targeted therapies, including antibody–drug conjugates.

“Ours was never a one-discipline story. In research, you sometimes doubt yourself, but when you share your ideas with others the energy becomes collective. We kept each other moving forward,” said Videira. “Strong teams are built not just with people, but also with institutions and having access to the right environment made a lasting difference.”

Paula Videira and her team are one of three finalists in the ‘Research’ category of the European Inventor Award 2026. The other ‘Research’ finalists are Finnish physicist Mikko Möttönen for an ultrasensitive cryogenic microwave sensor to improve quantum computing hardware and Irish-British vaccinologist Sir Adrian Hill for a malaria vaccine. The European Patent Office will announce the winners during a livestreamed ceremony from Berlin on 2 July 2026. In addition to the four award categories, the Popular Prize will be decided through a combined vote by the public and an independent jury. Public voting opens on 12 May 2026 and will be running until the ceremony on 2 July 2026.

Find more information about the technology, its impact and the inventors here.

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About the European Inventor Award

The European Inventor Award is one of Europe's most prestigious innovation prizes. Launched by the EPO in 2006, the award honours individuals and teams, who have come up with solutions to some of the biggest challenges of our time. The European Inventor Award jury consists of inventors who are all former finalists. To judge proposals, the independent panel draws on their wealth of technical, business, and intellectual property expertise. All inventors must have been granted a European patent for their invention. Read more on the various categories, prizes, selection criteria and livestream ceremony to be held on 2 July in Berlin.

About the EPO

With almost 6,300 staff members, the European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the largest public service institutions in Europe. Headquartered in Munich with offices in Berlin, Brussels, The Hague and Vienna, the EPO was founded with the aim of strengthening co-operation on patents in Europe. Through the EPO's centralised patent granting procedure, inventors are able to obtain high-quality patent protection in up to 46 countries, covering a market of some 700 million people. The EPO is also the world's leading authority in patent information and patent searching.