Dr Petroula Laiou hosts our May Seminar Series
April 9, 2025
Thanks to Dr Petroula Laiou from King's College London,
for delivering our May Seminar Series with her talk,
"Bridging the Gap: Turning Academic Research into Clinical Innovation".
Petroula shared her journey of translating cutting-edge academic research into a mission-driven MedTech company. The spinout is pioneering a novel approach to forecasting and preventing seizures in people with drug-resistant epilepsy - an innovation rooted in years of interdisciplinary work at the intersection of clinical neuroscience, signal processing, and artificial intelligence.
Dr. Laiou took the audience through the full translational pathway: from identifying an unmet clinical need, designing and analysing first-in-human studies, and developing a seizure prediction algorithm, to securing translational funding, navigating the intellectual property landscape, and filing an international patent (PCT/GB2024/052456).
She reflected on key lessons learned during her time in the King’s MedTech Accelerator Programme - where the team won the Best Innovation award - and share insights on building bridges between academia and industry, shaping a commercialization strategy, and transitioning from researcher to entrepreneur.
The talk also highlighted the challenges and rewards of launching a spinout in the healthcare sector and offer practical advice for PhD students and early-career researchers considering the entrepreneurial route.
Seminar Series Event: "Bridging the Gap: Turning Academic Research into Clinical Innovation"
Date and Time:
Wednesday 7 May 2025, 15:00 – 16.00 hrs (BST)
Location: The Lorna Wing Room, SGDP Building, Denmark Hill Campus, London, SE5 8AF
Attendance:
Mandatory for all DRIVE-Health students, therefore please accept the calendar invitation.
Registration: Alumni and wider King's College London research community all welcome - please email
drive-health-cdt@kcl.ac.uk
to let us know if you would like to attend.
Dr. Petroula Laiou is a Research Fellow in Predictive Modelling and Clinical Neuroscience at King’s College London. With a background in mathematics, computational physics, and a PhD in signal analysis, her research bridges computer science, neuroscience, and machine learning. Her work focuses on developing predictive models and digital biomarkers for neurological and psychiatric disorders, including epilepsy and depression.
Dr. Laiou led the development of a novel seizure forecasting algorithm using intracranial EEG and cortical responses to electrical stimulation—research that led to the filing of an international patent (PCT/GB2024/052456). She is the recipient of multiple research grants, including an MRC award as Principal Investigator, and her translational work was recognised by the King’s MedTech Accelerator Programme, where her team won the Best Innovation award.
She has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications, presented at major international conferences, and actively contributes to interdisciplinary collaborations across academia, hospitals, and industry.
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We are delighted to welcome Luis Garcia-Gancedo , Executive Director and Head of Digital Medicine at GSK , to speak at our symposium and partner showcase next month. Luis will deliver his talk “Digital Medicine in Clinical Development: Innovation at the Industry-Academia Interface " Abstract: Digital Medicine is transforming clinical trials, with wearable devices, digital endpoints, decentralised trial technologies and AI-driven insights already integrated into many clinical development programmes. This presentation will provide an overview of the current landscape and will discuss the opportunity for industry-academia collaborations to overcome existing barriers (including evidence generation to support validation and regulatory acceptance) to propel the field forward for the benefit of patients. Date and Time: Thursday 11 June 2026, 10:00 hrs (BST) Location: The Science Gallery London, Guy's Campus Tickets are free, please register as spaces are limited : https://buytickets.at/kingsepsrcdrivehealthcentrefordoctoraltrainingindatadrivenhealth/2143742 Biography Luis Garcia-Gancedo is an Executive Director and Head of Digital Medicine at GSK. In this role, he streamlines the consideration of digital health technologies in GSK’s respiratory, immunology and inflammation clinical trials, transitioning from an opportunistic to a strategic approach for developing and deploying novel digital solutions that address key clinical development challenges. Prior to his current role, he was with AstraZeneca, GSK, and the University of Cambridge. Luis holds a BSc/MSc in Physics, a PhD in Engineering and an Executive MBA.
Bridging Academia and Industry: Turning Health Data into Health Solutions Please join us for the EPSRC DRIVE‑Health CDT Summer Symposium & Partner Showcase 2026 , a two‑day event dedicated to bridging academia and industry and accelerating the journey from health data research to real‑world solutions. This year’s theme, “Bridging Academia and Industry: Turning Health Data into Health Solutions", brings together our vibrant community of students, King’s academics, industry partners, clinicians and policymakers to explore how collaboration can unlock new insights, innovation and impact across health and care. Event details 📅 11 & 12 June 2026 📍 Science Gallery London, Guy’s Campus, King’s College London, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9GU Timings: ⏰ 10:00–16:00 each day ☕ Refreshments available from 09:30 👉 Please be seated by 09:50 for a prompt 10:00 start Please secure your place here: Register Now Programme highlights KEYNOTE ✨ Dr Luis Garcia‑Gancedo , Executive Director & Head of Digital Medicine – Respiratory, Immunology & Inflammation, GSK INTERACTIVE DEBATE ✨ Student‑led interactive debate exploring AI within the context of the event theme: “Bridging Academia and Industry: Turning Health Data into Health Solutions.” PANEL DISCUSSION & POSTER JUDGING ✨ “What does industry actually need from health data PhDs - and how can industry partner with academia for maximum impact?” Panelists confirmed so far: Dr Laura Acqualagna , Director of AI/ML Engineering, GSK R&D Dr Chris Callaghan , Consultant Transplant Surgeon, Guy’s Hospital Dr Nina Sesto , CEO & Co‑Founder, MEGI Health Dr Srinivasan Vairavan , Director of Data Science & Digital Health, JNJ Innovative Medicine R&D, and Visiting Adjunct Faculty, King’s College London Dr Nicolas Huber , Director, King’s Innovation Catalyst PLUS ✨ Student lightning talks (across both days) ✨ 3‑minute Student Spotlight Slides (across both days) ✨ Poster showcase & networking session (Friday) ✨ Prizes for outstanding contributions (Friday) Please secure your place here: Register Now If you are no longer able to attend the event, please email drive-health-cdt@kcl.ac.uk so that we can reallocate to our waiting list.
