Multiple Sclerosis Research: 2007 Charcot Award Winner: Professor Alastair Compston PhD, FRCP

Main Category: Multiple Sclerosis
Article Date: 11 May 2007 - 12:00 PDT

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I feel very honoured, and am profoundly grateful to the many colleagues who participated in our research over the last 30 years, the patients who made much of that work possible, and Multiple Sclerosis International Federation for recognising these contributions through the 2007 Charcot Award.

Professor Alastair Compston

The 2007 winner of the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation's (MSIF) prestigious biennial Charcot Award for a lifetime achievement in research into the understanding or treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) is Professor Alastair Compston.

Multiple sclerosis is one of the most prevalent diseases of the central nervous system and directly affects an estimated 2.5 million people around the world. The cause of MS is not known. Professor Compston was selected from an outstanding field of candidates by an international panel of experts from MSIF's International Medical and Scientific Board, chaired by Professor Alan Thompson.

Professor Compston has made a major contribution to a number of important areas in the field of MS. He is a truly international figure who has inspired many through his research and his lecturing. He is a worthy winner of the Charcot award and richly deserves his place amongst the great contributors to the field of MS who have been honoured with this award in the past. I offer my congratulations on behalf of all the members of the International Medical and Scientific Advisory Board of MSIF.

Professor Alan Thompson, of the Institute of Neurology, London

Professor Compston is professor of neurology and head of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge. He received his PhD in 1979 for work on the immunogenetics of MS and his subsequent research has focused on human and experimental demyelinating disease with an emphasis on genetic epidemiology, applied neurobiology, therapeutic immunology and clinical neuroscience.

Genetic epidemiology

Early in his career, Professor Compston studied the genetic epidemiology of MS and the interplay between genes and environmental factors. With others, he characterised the class II HLA association, performed the first whole genome linkage analysis and, in 2001, headed the Genetic Analysis of Multiple Sclerosis in EuropeanS (GAMES) network that was the first to perform a full genome association screen in MS, furthering the understanding of genetic susceptibility to MS.

Neurobiology

In the area of neurobiology and its relation to MS pathogenesis, Professor Compston's cell culture studies on the mechanisms of injury and regeneration of oligodendrocytes (the cells responsible for producing myelin) have made a seminal contribution to the advancement of central nervous system cell repair.

Clinical Neuroscience

His interest in the clinical aspects of MS and its treatment has always been paramount. In 1987 he performed the earliest controlled trial showing the efficacy of high dose intravenous methylprednisolone (now the most widely used treatment) for treating relapses in MS. He was also a member of the 2001 International Panel that produced new diagnostic criteria for MS.

Current Research

More recently, one of Professor Compston's major contributions has been in the area of treatment studies and the evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of CAMPATH-1 in MS. CAMPATH-1H therapy is now in an advanced phase of clinical trial development with highly promising initial efficacy data in relapsing remitting MS.

Professor Compston has been the clinical lead in the establishment and running of the highly prestigious Centre for Brain Repair in Cambridge for over ten years. Through his numerous collaborations with basic neuroscientists, he has ensured that the Centre is now one of the most important in the world in this vital research area, paramount to the development of future MS treatments. He has mentored clinical neuroscientists such as Profs Neil Scolding & John Zajicek and Drs Stephen Sawcer, Alasdair Coles and Siddharthan Chandran who have gone on to establish their own successful, independent research groups and programmes in the MS field.

He is the author of over 400 papers, was instrumental in the editing and production of the two most recent editions of the most prestigious and highly regarded textbook on MS, McAlpine's Multiple Sclerosis (1998 & 2005) and is the current editor of the neurological journal 'Brain'.

Professor Compston's innovative research has included collaboration with the NMR Research Unit at the Institute of Neurology, London. He has served on the grant panels of the UK Medical Research Council and MS Society, is a past-chairman of the Neurosciences and Mental Health panel of the Wellcome Trust (2001-3) and a past-president of the European Neurological Society (2002-3). He received the Sobek Foundation International Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research in 2002.

1. About the Charcot Award

Jean Martin Charcot, born in Paris, France in 1825, is considered by many to be the founder of modern neurology. In 1868, as Professor of Neurology at the University of Paris, he made the first diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and his clinical-pathological definition is still used today. For much of his career Charcot worked and taught at the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris where in 1882 he established a neurology clinic, the first of its kind in Europe.

Since 1969, the Charcot Award has recognised the significance of Jean Martin Charcot's studies into neurological diseases and his pioneering work which led him to be among the first to match specific anatomical lesions to a variety of neurological disorders, including MS.

As the winner of the award, Professor Compston is invited to give the Charcot Lecture at the 2007 MSIF Council Meeting and at the European Committee of Treatment and Research in MS (ECTRIMS) meetings. The meetings will take place in Prague, Czech Republic, between 8-10 and 11-14 October respectively. The award will cover Professor Compston's travel costs, accommodation and expenses to attend the above meetings. In addition, he will be awarded UK£1,500.

Previous winners of the Charcot Award:

2005 Prof Hans Lassmann - Austria
2003 Dr Henry McFarland - USA
2001 Prof Hartmut Wekerle - Germany
1999 Prof John Kurtzke - USA
1995 Prof Donald Paty - Canada
1993 Dr Byron Waksman - USA
1991 Prof Ian McDonald - UK
1988 Dr Yoshigoro Kuroiwa - Japan
1985 Dr Richard T Johnson - USA
1983 Dr Leonard T Kurland - USA
1981 Dr Helmut Bauer - Germany
1969 Dr Douglas McAlpine - UK

2. What is MS?

MS is an inflammatory demyelinating condition. Myelin, one of the fatty substances that sheathe, insulate and protect nerve fibres, aids the transmission of nerve signals throughout the body. It is the speed and efficiency with which these impulses are conducted that permits smooth, rapid and co-ordinated movements to be performed with little conscious effort.

MS is a very variable condition and the symptoms depend on which areas of the central nervous system have been affected. There is no set pattern to MS and everyone with MS has a different set of symptoms that vary and can change in severity and duration. In many cases MS causes gradual disability.

Common symptoms include blurred vision, loss of balance, spasticity, tingling, numbness and burning sensations, slurred speech, incontinence, fatigue and cognitive disturbances.

3. About MSIF

The Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF) was established in 1967 as an international body linking the activities of national MS societies around the world. MSIF currently has 43 member societies and works to support the development of many other emerging societies worldwide.

Our vision - A world without MS

Our mission - To lead the global MS movement by stimulating research into the understanding and treatment of MS and by improving quality of life of people affected by MS. In undertaking this mission, we utilise our unique collaboration with national MS societies, health professionals, people affected by MS and the international scientific community.

We work to achieve this through the following four programme objectives:

• to stimulate international MS research
• to support the development of effective national MS societies
• to communicate knowledge, experience and information about MS
• to advocate globally for the international MS community

http://www.msif.org

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