(Press-News.org) [New York, April 2, 2024] – Rhonda Voskuhl, M.D., an internationally recognized neurologist and investigator at the University of California, Los Angeles, is the winner of the 2024 John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research. She is being recognized for her innovative research to understand mechanisms underlying sex differences in multiple sclerosis (MS) and advancing women’s health.
Women are much more susceptible than men to developing MS, an immune-mediated neurological disease. Voskuhl has conducted extensive basic and clinical research to understand why. She has made landmark discoveries related to the influence of sex hormones and sex chromosomes in laboratory models, and then translated those basic findings to the clinic. She has conducted four clinical trials investigating the effect of treatment of people with MS with sex hormones.
Voskuhl’s extensive research found that a gene on female sex chromosomes promotes inflammation. She has also explored the brain-protective effects of the sex hormone estrogen and other estrogen receptor molecules that bind to estrogen docking sites. This may eventually lead to new treatment approaches to protect the nervous system and stop MS.
Voskuhl is Director of the University of California, Los Angeles Multiple Sclerosis Program, holds the Jack H. Skirball Chair in MS, is a Professor in the UCLA Department of Neurology, and serves as Faculty Neurologist of the UCLA Comprehensive Menopause Care Program.
“Professor Voskuhl has been a driving force in elevating our understanding of the mechanisms involved in sex differences in MS,” noted Dr. Bruce Bebo, Executive Vice President, Research at the National MS Society, which administers the Dystel Prize in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology. “She is one of very few clinician-scientists who has made basic laboratory discoveries and then translated those discoveries and tested them in clinical trials to find better treatments for people with MS.”
Previous Dystel Prize winner Anne Cross, M.D., of Washington University in St. Louis, nominated Voskuhl for the prize along with another previous winner, Lawrence Steinman, M.D., of Stanford. Cross stated, “Dr. Voskuhl has prioritized women with MS in her research approach for decades. She works in the laboratory, but she is also a neurologist and has already demonstrated her ability to translate her laboratory’s impactful research findings directly to the clinic.”
Voskuhl commented, “I am thankful to the National MS Society for their pivotal support of my work since its inception. Their stature as an organization that supports MS researchers and patients through critical programs for discovery of new treatments and supportive care strategies is unsurpassed and has been essential over the decades. Together, our mission is to improve lives. Now is a time of hope and exponential progress in the MS field.”
Voskuhl received her medical degree at Vanderbilt Medical School, completed a neurology residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Neuroimmunology Branch of the National Institutes of Health. As a junior faculty member joining UCLA, she was a Harry Weaver Scholar of the National MS Society. She was the inaugural recipient of the Rachel Horne Prize for Women’s Health Research in MS, conferred at the combined 2023 meeting of the European and American Committees for Research and Treatment in MS (ECTRIMS/ACTRIMS). Dr. Voskuhl was granted an R35 Research Program Award from the National Institutes of Health in 2023, a coveted eight-year award to approximately ten neuroscientists across the U.S.
Voskuhl will deliver the Dystel Prize lecture and receive the award at the American Academy of Neurology 2024 Annual Meeting in Denver, CO, on April 14.
# # #
About the John Dystel Prize for MS Research
The Dystel Prize is awarded jointly by the National MS Society and the American Academy of Neurology. It was established in 1994 by former Society National Board member the late Oscar Dystel, and his wife the late Marion Dystel, in honor of their son, John Jay Dystel, an attorney whose promising career was cut short by progressive disability from MS, and complications of the disease that lead to his death in June 2003. about other Dystel Prize winners.
About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system. Currently there is no cure. Symptoms vary from person to person and may include disabling fatigue, mobility challenges, cognitive changes, and vision issues. An estimated 1 million people live with MS in the United States. Early diagnosis and treatment are critical to minimize disability. Significant progress is being made to achieve a world free of MS.
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
The National MS Society, founded in 1946, is the global leader of a growing movement dedicated to creating a world free of MS. The Society funds cutting-edge research for a cure, drives change through advocacy and provides programs and services to help people affected by MS live their best lives. Connect to learn more and get involved: nationalMSsociety.org, Facebook, X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or 1-800-344-4867.
END
April 2, 2024 – In a report published on March 21, 2024 in EMBO Molecular Medicine (A replication competent Plasmodium falciparum parasite completely attenuated by dual gene deletion) investigators at Seattle Children’s Research Institute and Sanaria Inc. describe the development of a whole malaria parasite vaccine strain that infects the liver, develops to the late liver stage, and then gets completely stuck and cannot burst out of the liver to cause symptomatic blood infection. The creation of this strain called LARC2 (Late liver-stage Arresting, Replication Competent) was accomplished by deletion of only two parasite genes out of the approximately 5,000 in the ...
A paper proposing a hybrid data driven framework considering feature extraction for battery state of health estimation and remaining useful life prediction was published in the journal Green Energy and Intelligent Transportation on 29 March 2024.
VMD is used for completely non-recursive modal variation to deal with signals. The optimal solution of the variational problem is obtained finally by effective decomposition component of the given signal. By iteration, the VMD algorithm can decompose the signals into some intrinsic ...
Complimentary press passes are now available for NUTRITION 2024, the annual flagship meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. Join us June 29–July 2 in Chicago for the latest developments in nutrition research, practice and policy.
As the pre-eminent meeting in nutrition science, NUTRITION attracts thousands of scientists, practitioners, policymakers, advocacy leaders and industry professionals each year. Reporters are invited to attend in person to connect with the field’s leaders and learn about exciting scientific ...
AMHERST, Mass. – A group of researchers led by University of Massachusetts Amherst engineers have created ultraviolet (UV) rays-emitting glass that can reduce 98% of biofilm from growing on surfaces in underwater environments, as reported in the journal Biofilm.
Biofilm is a slimy layer of various types of microorganisms that grows on wet surfaces. “If you look down your sink and touch the inner side of it—that slimy substance is biofilm,” describes Mariana Lanzarini-Lopes, ...
A woman’s cardiovascular risk can rise sharply after she goes through menopause, quickly catching up to men of a similar age and health profile, according to new findings presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session. Researchers said the study underscores the importance of recognizing and addressing early warning signs of heart disease risk in women as they lose the protective effects of estrogen after menopause.
“This is a unique study cohort of only post-menopausal ...
Individuals with heart disease stand to gain the most from a low-sodium diet but, on average, consume over twice the recommended daily sodium intake, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session.
Sodium is an essential nutrient, but consuming too much can raise blood pressure, which damages blood vessels and forces the heart to work harder. Excess sodium can also cause the body to retain fluid, exacerbating conditions like heart failure. The current U.S. Dietary Guidelines put out by the U.S. Department of Agriculture ...
People who use e-cigarettes are significantly more likely to develop heart failure compared with those who have never used them, according to one of the largest prospective studies to date investigating possible links between vaping and heart failure. The findings are being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session.
Heart failure is a condition affecting more than 6 million U.S. adults in which the heart becomes too stiff or too weak to pump blood as effectively as it should. It can often lead to debilitating symptoms and frequent hospitalizations as people age. Electronic nicotine products, which include ...
Is the view from your doorstep mostly trees and sky or buildings and grass? The answer could influence your cardiovascular health, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session. Using an analysis of Google Street View images powered by machine learning, researchers found people living in surroundings rich in sidewalks, trees and clear sky saw a significantly lower risk of major adverse cardiac events.
“A lot of research has shown that environmental factors strongly affect our health. If we can find a way to stratify this risk and provide interventions before cardiovascular events happen, then ...
Chestnut Hill, Mass (4/2/2024) – Dual topological phases have been discovered in an intrinsic monolayer crystal, a finding that reveals new and unique rule-bending properties in a quantum material, an international team of scientists led by Boston College physicists reported recently in the online version of the journal Nature.
The discovery of a dual topological insulator introduces a new method for creating topological flat minibands through electron interactions, which offer a promising platform for exploring exotic quantum phases and electromagnetism, ...
Brussels, Belgium, and San Francisco, United States - The Public Library of Science (PLOS) and the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (“Eurodoc”), today announced a strategic partnership between the organizations to increase awareness of Open Science, its principles, and its implementation into research practices.
“In addition to supporting researchers, we also strive to support the implementation of Open Science principles and increase the adoption of ...
