University of Calgary professor Dr. Aaron Goodarzi, PhD, is hoping to recruit up to ten thousand people from all over Canada to test their homes for radon and collect and send in their toenail clippings for analysis.

In a proof-of-concept (pilot) study published in Environment International, Goodarzi and co-principal investigator Dr. Michael Wieser, PhD, showed that measuring radioactive lead in toenails is a promising way to estimate a person’s long-term radon exposure.

The naturally occurring, odorless, colourless but radioactive gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer after tobacco smoking. Despite that, rules governing lung cancer screening programs in Canada can’t yet include radon exposure as one of risk criteria. The reason being few people can reliably report their radon exposure across decades like they can report the number of years they’ve smoked tobacco.

Researchers at MIT and Harvard Medical School found a way to engineer CAR-NK immune cells that makes them much less likely to be rejected by the patient’s immune system, a common drawback of this type of cancer immunotherapy.

The winners of the 2025 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists are:

Life Sciences Laureate: Philip J. Kranzusch, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Harvard Medical School (Microbiology) - Recognized for discovering that human innate immunity evolved from ancient pathways in bacteria, explaining the molecular basis for how human cells defend against infections and cancer.

Chemical Sciences Laureate: Frank Leibfarth, PhD, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Polymer Chemistry) - Recognized for pioneering approaches to upcycle plastic waste and remove toxic ‘forever chemicals’ from water by developing reactions and catalysts that selectively control the structure and function of polymers.

Physical Sciences & Engineering Laureate: Elaina J. Sutley, PhD, University of Kansas (Civil Engineering) - Recognized for comprehensive, systematic computer modeling and engineering to address disaster mitigation and recovery, informing building codes and disaster readiness policies across the country.