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Medical Research
WINNER - Brain Repair in Mutliple Sclerosis
MS Breakthrough Wins Top Medical Prize
The Multiple Sclerosis Group, a team of twenty-six researchers from the Howard Florey Research Institute led by Professor Trevor Kilpatrick, has won the Eureka Prize for Medical Research. They have made an extraordinary contribution towards finding potential treatments for sufferers of multiple sclerosis (MS), the devastating autoimmune disease which attacks the nervous system and affects 18,000 Australians.
This prize is part of the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, the Oscars of Australian science. Coveted among science prizes, the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes were announced at a glittering event in Sydney on 19 August attended by a ‘who's who' of Australian science, government, academia and industry.
While most MS researchers look at the immunology of the disease, Kilpatrick's team do it differently. They research the role of cytokines - proteins produced by the body that are involved in stimulating or suppressing an immune response. The team has been especially interested in the ability of cytokines to protect a nerve under attack from MS.
The Multiple Sclerosis Group has focussed on cytokines because they can be used to generate biological-based therapies, without the need for long term testing and development programs. The research thus has immediate potential for drug discovery. The teams research has been published in hundreds of scientific papers, many of which describe, for the first time, the role particular cytokines play in nerve development and degeneration.
From their research, the Multiple Sclerosis Group has patented two potential MS therapies and is currently pursuing commercial opportunities to take one of them into clinical trials.
To assist in the development of MS drugs for humans, the team has also developed world-first animal models that show how nerve cells react when attacked by the immune system and how they react to potential treatments. One such model uses the mouse optic nerve which, like the human optic nerve, is responsible for transmitting visual information from the retina to the brain. The optic nerve is often affected by MS attacks, leading to impaired vision. Kilpatrick's team can now model this optic nerve damage and, by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), track the course of the disease and any benefits potential therapies might have.
"This award recognises Kilpatrick's radical approach to MS research and his ability to put together a world-class team. Clinical development of potential drugs is now on the horizon," says Frank Howarth, Director of the Australian Museum.
The $10,000 NSW Office for Science and Medical Research Jamie Callachor Eureka Prize for Medical Research is awarded to an individual or research team for outstanding, groundbreaking medical research in multiple sclerosis.
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Sponsor
The NSW Office for Science and Medical Research Jamie Callachor Eureka Prize for Medical Research is sponsored by New South Wales Office of Science and Medical Research.
Description
The NSW Office for Science and Medical Research Jamie Callachor Eureka Prize for Medical Research is awarded to an individual or research team for outstanding, groundbreaking medical research in multiple sclerosis.
prize
10,000
Purpose
The NSW Office for Science and Medical Research Jamie Callachor Eureka Prize for Medical Research prize is named in memory of Jamie Callachor, a valued colleague of the Ministry who died unexpectedly in November 2005.
The Jamie Callachor Eureka Prize for Medical Research is designed to encourage and reward emerging medical researchers.
The Prize is awarded for an outstanding, ground-breaking medical research project and may be awarded to an individual or to a research team.
Each year, the prize focuses on and highlights a specific field of medical research which reflects Australian health priorities and medical research strengths.
The 2008 Jamie Callachor Eureka Prize for Medical Research is for outstanding, groundbreaking medical research in multiple sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis affects more young adults than any other neurological disorder. Nearly 20,000 Australians have the condition - of which over 70 per cent are women. Chronic and often disabling, multiple sclerosis randomly attacks and scars the protective layer that surrounds nerves in the brain and spinal cord.
Multiple sclerosis research is essential to advance our knowledge on the causes, diagnosis, prevention and treatment to ultimately a cure.
Judging Criteria
Entries must address each of the following criteria:
Originality: describe how your research is original.
Scientific rigour: describe the scientific rigour of your research, including evidence that the research has undergone peer-review.
Nature of outputs: describe the nature of research outputs (eg. scientific papers in quality journals).
Potential impacts: describe the potential impacts and benefits of your research, such as, the potential translation of the research into diagnostic or therapeutic application; or the breadth of the health and medical practice and research fields that may benefit from the research.
Conditions of entry
The prize is open to individuals or groups. Entrants can either enter themselves or be nominated by others.
Research entered for this prize must have been undertaken:
• in Australia by an Australian citizen(s) or Australian resident(s). Where the entry is by a research team, all members of the team must meet this criterion
• by individuals who completed their research PhD no more than 15 years before they undertook the research entered. Where the entry is by a research team, the chief investigator of the team must meet this criterion
• no more than three (3) years prior to the closing date for entries.
Online entry forms close 5pm AEST Friday 2 May 2008. Hard copy entries will not be considered until and unless an online Entry Form has been completed.
Completed entries must be received by the Australian Museum no later than 5pm AEST on Friday 9 May 2008. Hard copy entries delivered to the Australian Museum after this time will not be considered.
Entries with insufficient sets of documentation will not be considered. Submitted material will not be returned.
The research entered/nominated for this prize may not be entered/nominated for another Australian Museum Eureka Prize.
The deliberations of the judging panel remain confidential. All recommendations and decisions taken are binding and final and no correspondence will be entered into on such matters.
Information provided by the entrant(s) in relation to the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes (including photos), may be used by the Australian Museum for promotional/publicity purposes.
Personal information provided in connection with the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes will be used only by the Australian Museum and only in connection with the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.
How to enter
1. Complete an online entry form
Complete the online entry form by 5pm AEST on Friday 2 May 2008. Make sure you print out a copy.
2. Prepare five (5) sets of the entry, with each set consisting of:
1. a printed copy of the online entry form as submitted
2. a brief description of the research entered, including objectives and results to date (two page maximum)
3. a brief description of how the research entered addresses each of the judging criteria (two page maximum)
4. a maximum of four (4) written reports addressing each of the judging criteria from assessors who are familiar with the entered research. NOTE: Judges rely on assessor's reports to provide additional perspective and informed opinion on the entry. Assessors should not be personally or directly involved in the research entered in this prize.
You may if you wish also include a copy of your research from at least one externally-refereed scientific publication.
2. Submit the entry
Submit five (5) complete and separate sets of the entry clipped together (not bound). Please do NOT bother with elaborate presentation when submitting the entry. This will be removed before material is sent to judges. The five (5) sets of the entry should be sent to:
Eureka Prize for Medical Research
Australian Museum
6 College Street
SYDNEY NSW 2010
3. DEADLINE for submission of entries
The five (5) sets of the entry must be received at the Australian Museum by 5pm AEST on Friday 9 May 2008. Entries received after this time will not be considered.
