Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Professor of Medical Sciences, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, and inventor of a key vaccine against the virus causing cervical cancer. Already sounds impressive, doesn't it? All the more so, as this scientist and manager of Polish origin hasn't said his last word. We will be able to hear about his plans at the upcoming Impact'21.

Within British scientific and cultural circles, Sir Leszek Borysiewicz is at least a well-known figure, considered an unquestionable authority, proven on the battlefield for a better tomorrow. Although it's no secret that this respected, honored, and frequently admired 70-year-old scientist, discoverer, and manager doesn't particularly care about fame. What he cares about and what he dedicates his life to is extracting the most from science for the benefit of humanity. Awards, distinctions, and patents are merely a side effect of this. As he stated at one of his meetings with students:

– A drug costing a thousand dollars a week is of little use to the sick living on 2 dollars a day.

€750 Million for War

Behind these words lies the author's CV, which includes, among other things, heading hospitals in Gambia when the country was in a state of war in the mid-1980s. That is why now, as the head of Cancer Research UK (with an annual budget of €750 million), Prof. Borysiewicz has declared an all-British war on cancer, which – if successful – will spur other countries to change their prevention and treatment strategies. The organization finances a range of anti-cancer drugs intended to revolutionize expensive and ineffective oncological therapies. During a meeting with academics in Białystok in 2018, he proclaimed:

– One in three people in this room will develop cancer; in 10 years, it will be half. The optimistic news is that three-quarters of those diagnosed will live for another 10 years from the moment of diagnosis, and 40% of new drugs are aimed at combating tumors.





From Anders to the Queen

Although Prof. Borysiewicz's family roots are closely tied to Poland, he himself admits that he first feels Welsh and British. However, Poland is a country with which he strengthens his ties year after year – the scientist, born in Cardiff, recently received an honorary doctorate from the Jagiellonian University, among other accolades. Now, Sir Borysiewicz (a knighthood bestowed upon him by Queen Elizabeth in 2021) is more actively involved in the development of innovation in Poland, including as one of the most anticipated speakers at the upcoming Impact'21 (May 12-13). Looking back several decades, it would have been hard to imagine that a descendant of those exiled to Siberia could become, among other things, the inventor of a groundbreaking therapy for human papillomavirus infections, the cause of cervical cancer.

– My parents met on the train taking them to Kazakhstan; my father was from Podlasie, my mother from Grodno. Both fought in Anders' Army; my father went through the entire combat route. After the war, they ended up in Wales. It wasn't easy in Cardiff at that time. However, we managed, living modestly; my father was a bricklayer, so he built us a house. I didn't even think about studies at first – he described in the book “Not Just About Science, Conversations with Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz.”

“Why?” is the Most Important Question

In the same publication – as well as many others – Borysiewicz places the role of academia at the forefront, overshadowing his individual achievements and accolades. Listening to his lectures, interviews, and reading his essays, one can discern their common denominator: academia, universities – according to Sir Borysiewicz – are still an excellent remedy for the challenges and pains of reality. He espouses the thesis that since we constantly crave innovation and want to use it as a lever to improve the human condition, we cannot expect it to emerge solely from the quiet of offices or corporate laboratories. The university crucible is an indispensable component here.

– As a child in school, I constantly asked “why?” and usually received evasive answers like “it doesn't matter, you won't have it on the test anyway.” Perhaps that's why I wasn't the best student? It wasn't until my medical classes, when I asked “why?” about a scientific matter, that I heard, “we don't know that yet.” And that drew me in. Because what could be more driving progress and innovation than entering the realm of “we don't know” and changing that status? – he said in an interview conducted for the Jagiellonian University.

Strength Also Lies in Art

Sir Borysiewicz, having effectively been the operational head of the University of Cambridge for 7 years, proved to be an unconventional figure, an efficient manager who believes that universities have their best years ahead of them, provided they don't forget to cultivate their multidisciplinarity. They are somewhat against current trends but are also capable of adapting brilliantly to changing realities.

– Take the Jagiellonian University, for instance, which has faced great threats many times in its history and has always emerged victorious. Currently, the advantage of universities lies in the fact that – despite economic pressure – they provide time and space for a critical mass of discoveries, perhaps not in financial terms, but certainly in social terms. Let's act without haste, without the pressure of money, respecting the multidisciplinarity of universities, and innovations will come – argues the guest of this year's Impact'21, who privately upholds these words: when he abandoned his initial love – archaeology – for medicine, he also discovered art.

In his free time (he still has very little of it), Sir Borysiewicz tries his hand as a painter and illustrator. Although there is no doubt that the world far more appreciates his scientific and managerial achievements and perspectives.