Professor Per Soelberg Sørensen wins prestigious Charcot award for research in multiple sclerosis

The Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF) is delighted to announce that Professor Per Soelberg Sørensen is the 2017 winner of the Charcot award.

This award recognises a lifetime achievement in outstanding research into the understanding, treatment or prevention of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Prof Sørensen, one of the world’s prominent clinical neurologists in Multiple Sclerosis, has established a variety of MS initiatives across Europe and has contributed towards the development of numerous MS therapies. With more than 400 publications to his name and having served on many esteemed Danish, European and international scientific boards and committees, it is clear that Prof Sørensen has provided a significant and impressive contribution to the field of MS treatment.

Lifetime of achievements

As well as founding the multidisciplinary Danish MS Centre, the Danish MS Treatment registry, and the Neuroimmunology Laboratory based in Copenhagen, Prof Sørensen was also a founding editor of the European Journal of Neurology and the Nordic MS Genetics Group.  To single out just one of these achievements, the Danish MS Treatment registry (now being merged with the Danish MS Registry) has provided important data on the effect of immunomodulatory treatments in unique, nation-wide patient cohorts – data which plays a crucial role in helping us to understand the long term efficacy and safety of MS treatments.

Prof Sørensen has also made substantial contributions to the development of MS therapies, playing an instrumental role in a number of international treatment trials. Examples include his investigation into the detrimental role of anti-drug antibodies – one of his most significant contributions to the field – along with his work identifying biomarkers and combination therapies and, more recently, on phase 2 studies in progressive MS.

Praised by peers

Professor Xavier Montalban, Chair of MSIF’s International Medical and Scientific Board explained why Prof Sørensen was a deserving winner of this lifetime achievement award.

“I do believe that he (Prof Sørensen) is without any doubts one of the key clinical MS neurologists of the last decades and hopefully he will continue supporting patients and neurologists in the future”.

Professor Reinhard Hohlfeld, Deputy Chair of MSIF’s International Medical and Scientific Board, commended Prof Sørensen’s contributions to MS support and treatment.

“I not only admire Per as a wonderful, long-standing friend, peer, and colleague, but also for his many, many important contributions to MS – notably in MS therapeutics. In particular, Per was amongst the small group of pioneers who first emphasised the importance of, and brought about collaboration between, MS experts in Europe, whose legacy we see today in such institutions as ECTRIMS.  It is Per’s enormous merits in fostering international collaboration that really make him a great fit for this important and prestigious global award.”

The award will be presented to Prof Sørensen during the ECTRIMS meeting in Paris from the 25th – 28th October 2017, where Prof Sorenson will give the biennial Charcot Lecture.

You can find out more about Prof Sørensen’s work in this video, which has been produced by the Danish MS Society (MSIF’s member in Denmark) and was recently shared at MSIF’s 50^th Anniversary Global Networking Meetings.

Previous winners of the Charcot Award include Prof Giancarlo Comi, Prof Stephen Hauser, Prof Lawrence Steinman, Prof John Prineas, Prof Alastair Compston, Prof Ian McDonald, Prof Donald Paty, Prof John Kurtzke, Dr Henry McFarland and Prof Hans Lassmann.