High school student from Bjerringbro Gymnasium wins Rising Star Prize

Ask Roman Møller received this year’s Rising Star Award at Unge Forskere – Denmark’s largest science talent competition.

4 May 2026

The LEO Foundation has awarded the 2026 Rising Star Prize to Ask Roman Møller, a second-year student at Bjerringbro Gymnasium. He receives the prize for his research project exploring how exhaled breath can be used for early disease screening.

Ask Roman Møller, who has just been honored with the LEO Foundation Rising Star Prize, bases his winning project From Smell to Diagnostics on the idea that diseases can be detected through scent. In the project, he analyzed patients’ exhaled breath and measured so-called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can act as a chemical ‘fingerprint’ of diseases such as lung cancer.

In his research project, he developed a prototype of a device that can quickly and affordably screen for lung cancer in a non-invasive way. The device functions as a kind of handheld electronic nose. The technology is based on sensors that detect patterns in compounds in exhaled breath rather than individual molecules, enabling it to recognize complex signals from the body.

“The LEO Foundation Rising Star Prize is given to a project with the potential to help address an important health challenge. Ask Roman Møller’s project is both innovative, scientifically grounded, and clearly focused on solving a major societal problem: the late diagnosis of serious diseases such as lung cancer,” says Anne-Marie Engel, Chief Scientific Officer at the LEO Foundation, and continues:

“We are impressed that Ask Roman Møller has involved so many relevant collaborators. Recognizing one’s own limitations and establishing collaborations where you do not have the expertise yourself are crucial elements in both successful research and product development.”

Ask aims to make it easier to detect lung cancer at an early stage by analyzing patients’ exhaled breath. The vision is a simple and affordable screening solution that can be used at home or by general practitioners – as a first step before formal diagnosis.

Prize honors curiosity and talent

The LEO Foundation Rising Star Prize is a special prize within Unge Forskere, Denmark’s largest science talent competition for upper secondary students. The award of DKK 5,000 celebrates young, curious talents who dare to tackle difficult questions and address major challenges using science as a tool.

In addition to the Rising Star Prize, Ask Roman Møller also received first prize in the Health Science category in the senior division for his project From Smell to Diagnostics.