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| Francisco J. Quintana, PhD |
Francisco J. Quintana, PhD, professor of Neurology at the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, will receive the 2019 Barancik Prize for Innovation in Multiple Sclerosis Research from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. This award recognizes an exceptional scientist or a team of scientists whose work in multiple sclerosis (MS) research has demonstrated outstanding innovation and originality.
The annual prize, made possible by the generosity of the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation, is $100,000 to be used at the discretion of the recipient. Quintana will be presented the award and deliver the Prize Lecture in February at the ACTRIMS Forum in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Quintana has established innovative research programs that use advanced technologies to study the immune response and to identify potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers for MS. He recently developed a new research platform to identify gene-environment interactions that control central nervous system inflammation, such as what occurs in MS.
Among his many achievements in the field, Quintana was the first to identify a central role for a particular protein (AHR) in the immune system. These findings have important implications for understanding how the immune response may trigger MS, and they have contributed to the development of drugs for the treatment of MS and other diseases. He leads an international consortium focused on the identification of mechanisms of disease pathogenesis in progressive MS and new drugs to treat it.
The mission of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is to help people affected by MS live their best lives by stopping MS in its tracks, restoring what has been lost and ending MS forever.
