The 2025 Innovation Award: Maja Thiele and Jonas Heilskov Graversen

The 2025 Innovation Award goes to Professor Maja Thiele and Associate Professor Jonas Heilskov Graversenfrom the Faculty of Health Sciences.

They receive the award for their pioneering and sustained ability to make research breakthroughs with potential for practical application Together, at the basic research centre ATLAS, they have made groundbreaking discoveries of great importance for the early detection of patients with fatty liver disease, which can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

 As Chief Consultant, Professor and Deputy Director of FLASH - Centre for Liver Research at OUH, Maja Thiele has made an outstanding effort to bring state-of-the-art technologies, including AI and big data, into point-of-care clinical practice. She has also led the development of AI-based solutions that enable early detection of patients at risk of severe liver disease.

 Jonas Heilskov Graversen has a 20-year career in innovation in the biotech and pharma industry and at SDU. He is co-inventor on more than 15 patents and co-founder of four biotech companies within medical therapies for atherosclerosis, inflammation and cancer.

Maja Thiele and Jonas Graversen are shining examples of researchers translating basic research into practical improvements in diagnostics and patient treatment - through innovation and co-creation of products in collaboration with industry.