Health

07 Dec 09

Professor Lars Fugger gives an address during the presentation ceremony.

The largest European prize for multiple sclerosis (MS) research has been presented to Professor Lars Fugger of the University of Oxford at a ceremony in Stuttgart, Germany.

The €100,000 Sobek Prize is awarded annually to European scientists demonstrating outstanding research into the mechanisms that lead to MS.

The prize is awarded by the Sobek Foundation and the German MS society, an organisation representing those affected by the condition.

‘I am delighted to be presented with this award as it shows that our research is appreciated by MS patients,’ says Professor Fugger of the Department of Clinical Neurology and Oriel College.

Multiple sclerosis is the most common disabling neurological condition affecting young adults, and around 100,000 people in the UK have MS. The condition arises as the result of damage to myelin – a protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres of the central nervous system.

Genetic and environmental factors play a role in the disease, and Professor Fugger’s group is interested in understanding the molecular basis for observed associations between particular genes and susceptibility to MS. They are also investigating how these genes interact with environmental factors such as viruses. Finally, the researchers are looking at how inflammation leads to neurodegeneration and long-term disability in MS patients.

The goal is to use the combined knowledge from these studies to develop new drugs for the treatment of MS.