Advancing MS Research Through Recognition and Innovation: The John Dystel Prize

Recent advancements in multiple sclerosis (MS) research have significantly enhanced clinicians’ understanding of the disease's pathogenesis and treatment. Innovations in immunological profiling have identified distinct biological signatures, suggesting the ability to facilitate early and accurate diagnosis, as well as informing personalized treatment strategies.¹ Notably, the identification of a unique autoantibody signature could enable the detection of MS years before symptom onset, offering a promising avenue for early intervention.² Additionally, the development of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors potentially represents a novel therapeutic approach targeting both adaptive and innate immune responses, showing promising efficacy in treating relapsing forms of MS.

Recognition of these scientific contributions from investigators can possibly play a pivotal role in advancing MS research. Awards like the John Dystel Prize, presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting, not only honor individual achievements but also highlight significant milestones in the field.³ The award, received this year by Amit Bar-Or, MD, FRCPC, FAAN, FANA, helps to foster a culture of excellence and inspiring continued innovation in MS.⁴ Jointly awarded by AAN and the National MS Society (the Society), the recognition that comes from this award could encourage collaboration and attract new talent to accelerate the development of effective treatments for MS to improve patient care.

At the 2025 AAN Annual Meeting, NeurologyLive^® had a conversation with Bruce Bebo, PhD, executive vice president of research at the Society, and Bar-Or, Melissa and Paul Anderson President’s Distinguished Professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania, to highlight the significance of the prize in propelling MS research forward. Bebo emphasized the award’s role in honoring scientific excellence that has fundamentally advanced understanding of MS pathogenesis and inspired translational breakthroughs. Bar-Or reflected on his lab’s contributions to elucidating the immunological heterogeneity of MS and the importance of biomarker development in tailoring treatment. Both underscored the prize’s influence on collaboration, mentorship, and motivating continued innovation in the field.

"It’s about recognizing research excellence that has led to changes in how we understand MS and that understanding has led to the development of life-changing, disease-modifying therapies. The intent is really to inspire the scientific community to pursue questions relevant to MS, which in turn leads to more scientific breakthroughs."

Bruce Bebo, PhD

(Credit: LinkedIn)

NeurologyLive: How has this prize influenced MS research, and what impact do you think it has on advancing new discoveries in the field?

Bruce Bebo, PhD: We've been awarding and recognizing groundbreaking research in MS for over 30 years with the John Dystel Prize. It recognizes really groundbreaking discoveries—people who have made observations in MS that change the way we think about the disease. It inspires excellence in scientific research. It sets a landmark for excellence in MS research and inspires young people to pursue big questions and big problems in MS.

It recognizes excellence in understanding the pathogenesis of MS. The winners of this prize have made discoveries—including recent studies, some represented at the AAN Annual Meeting—on the role of B cells in MS. These discoveries have led to therapies that have had a tremendous impact for people living with MS.

It’s about recognizing research excellence that has led to changes in how we understand MS and that understanding has led to the development of life-changing, disease-modifying therapies. The intent is really to inspire the scientific community to pursue questions relevant to MS, which in turn leads to more scientific breakthroughs.

What qualities or achievements do you believe make a researcher’s work stand out as a candidate for this prize?

Bebo: Number one is just scientific excellence. This isn’t a career recognition award, but it does often recognize a track record—sometimes a long track record—of scientific excellence in MS.

These are people who have discovered fundamental new insights into the mechanisms driving MS—insights that have led, in some cases, to new biomarkers, whether fluid or imaging-based, or to new diagnostic tools that help diagnose MS more quickly and accurately.

What often sets some of the prize winners apart is that these discoveries have led to something translational—something that has ultimately resulted in the development of disease-modifying or other therapies that benefit people living with MS.

I’d say another differentiator—again, the prize is about recognizing excellence in science—but a differentiator can also be someone with a long track record of mentorship. Someone who’s given their time to young investigators, or someone who has contributed to the scientific community through service on committees, peer review panels, journal editorships, things like that. Scientific excellence is the primary factor, but these other contributions help create a portfolio that makes someone competitive for the Dystel Prize.

How do you see this opportunity shaping conversations and collaborations overall in MS research?

Bebo: We're really appreciative of the partnership with AAN, and the opportunity to present the prize at the annual meeting. This is one of the most important meetings of the year—a very large, global scientific meeting—and we couldn't be more pleased with that partnership.

The lecture at the annual meeting increases awareness and raises the prestige of the prize. I expected the room to be crowded—it’s pretty much at capacity every year. It helps highlight milestones in our march toward better management of MS.

Ultimately, at the National MS Society, we’re in the business of finding cures. I think, when we do find those cures, we’ll look back and see these AAN lectures as milestones—significant jumps in our understanding that helped get us there. It also highlights areas of research that could use more investment and focus—areas where there are still unanswered questions.

I hope it inspires young investigators. There are a lot of fellows at this meeting, and I hope it informs them of the key questions in MS, inspires them to think big, and promotes collaboration among attendees from all sorts of disciplines.

What’s unique about the AAN annual meeting is that there are talks across a wide range of neurological conditions. There are connections—things we can learn from each other. So, having the Dystel Lecture here helps cross-pollinate, raises awareness, and fosters interest among researchers in other disciplines who may have similar questions. That interdisciplinary interaction is what will get us where we need to go, faster.

Any words you would like to say for this year's recipient of the prize?

Bebo: Bar-Or is a superstar in MS research. Not only is he clearly passionate about understanding the underlying biology driving different forms of MS and the clinical presentations in individual people—we know MS affects everyone differently—but some of his work is helping us understand what’s driving that variability.

His research is leading to a more precise approach to treatment. If we know the biology driving someone’s disease, we can develop or select a disease-modifying therapy that targets that biology. He's a rock star. On a personal note, he’s just a great guy. It’s rare to have someone with that level of drive and success who’s also genuinely kind.

If Bar-Or were sitting here, I’d shake his hand and congratulate him—and also say: Don’t stop now. This isn’t a career recognition award. There’s still so much left for Bar-Or to do, and hopefully the prize helps inspire him to keep pushing the boundaries of his research.

"We’ve come a long way in understanding and targeting the relapsing form of MS. We now have treatments that are very effective—almost fully preventing relapses in the majority of people, in a safe and well-tolerated way. But we still have a major unmet need in nonrelapsing progressive MS."

Amit Bar-Or, MD, FRCPC, FAAN, FANA

(Credit: Affiliates)

What are some of the most significant contributions of your research that you believe have helped the understanding and treatment of MS?

Amit Bar-Or, MD, FRCPC, FAAN, FANA: We’ve been fortunate to uncover some findings related to the cellular immunology of MS that have helped show the community that it’s not about a single type of cell. It’s multiple cell types. It’s about the balance between subsets—some that are more activating and others that are more acquiescing.

Normally, that balance is maintained. But sometimes it tips into an autoimmune condition—in the case of MS, targeting the central nervous system. These interactions are relevant both outside the CNS, for the relapsing aspect of MS, and in the CNS, where immune cell–brain cell interactions may drive the nonrelapsing, progressive aspect.

We’ve learned new things about the conceptual framework of cellular neuroimmunology in MS, and also about individual variability. That’s one of the most important aspects—this biological heterogeneity. Why do some people have more attacks? Why do some progress more rapidly Since these processes often occur below the surface, we need markers—biomarkers—that can detect what’s happening even if we can’t measure it directly.

We’ve been working to contribute in that space, developing ways to biologically measure activity—whether in blood or spinal fluid—that help us understand the presence and weight of different processes. Ideally, we’d be able to say: This individual has this much of one process and this much of another. That has huge implications for therapy—whether to stay on the current treatment, switch it, or choose a different one.

What challenges still remain in MS research, and where do you see the most promising opportunities for advancing treatment?

Bar-Or: We’ve come a long way in understanding and targeting the relapsing form of MS. We now have treatments that are very effective—almost fully preventing relapses in the majority of people, in a safe and well-tolerated way.

But we still have a major unmet need in nonrelapsing progressive MS. As a community, we may be on the cusp of a new generation of treatments—like the BTK inhibitors—but there’s still more to do beyond that.

Repairing existing injury is another big challenge. That’s something we’re still behind on. It’s a common issue across many areas of neurology: once the central nervous system is injured, it’s hard to fix. So as a community—and a community of communities—we need to better understand how to promote repair and help people be the best they can be.

How has receiving this prize influenced your work, and what message do you hope it sends to the broader MS community?

Bar-Or: It’s a great honor to receive the Dystel Prize. It’s an award that has gone to truly remarkable individuals since the late Donald Paty, MD, in 1995—so we’re 30 years on now. The field has been transformed, and it’s incredibly gratifying to have played even a small role in that.

There’s nothing more rewarding than being recognized by your peers—it’s a way of them saying, “You seem to be on the right track.” That’s the message I take from it. All of us in this field work hard and passionately, so it’s humbling and very rewarding to receive this kind of recognition.

Transcript edited for clarity. Click here for more coverage of AAN 2025.

REFERENCES
1. Oh J, Bar-Or A. Precision neuroimmunology in multiple sclerosis - the horizon is near. Nat Rev Neurol. 2024;20(9):507-508. doi:10.1038/s41582-024-00992-6
2. Zamecnik CR, Sowa GM, Abdelhak A, et al. An autoantibody signature predictive for multiple sclerosis. Nat Med. 2024;30(5):1300-1308. doi:10.1038/s41591-024-02938-3
3. Dr. Amit Bar-Or, Penn Medicine Neuroimmunologist, Awarded the 2025 John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research. News Release. National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Published March 20, 2025. Accessed April 25, 2025. https://www.nationalmssociety.org/news-and-magazine/news/bar-or-wins-2025-dystel-prize
4. Bar-Or A. 2025 John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research. Presented at: 2025 AAN Annual Meeting; April 5-9; San Diego, CA. Multiple Sclerosis: Biomarkers in MS.

Editor’s Note: Bar-Or has disclosed that he has received personal compensation for serving as a Consultant for Roche Genentech, Novartis, Biogen, Merk/EMD Serono, Sanofi-Genzyme, cabaletta. He also has received personal compensation for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Roche/Genentech, Novartis, Merck/EMD Serono, and Sanofi/Genzyme. The institution of Bar-Or has received research support from Novartis, Biogen, and Roche/Genentech.