UCSF neuroscientist wins Barancik Prize for multiple sclerosis research

-- Dr. Jonah Chan wins for creating cutting-edge and cost-effective technologies to solve the challenge of brain repair for people with MS

Neuroscientist Jonah Chan, PhD, at the University of California, San Francisco, is the first recipient of a new international prize launched to recognize innovation and progress in multiple sclerosis (MS) research. Dr. Chan, Associate Professor of Neurology and holder of the Debbie and Andy Rachleff Endowed Chair in Neurology, is being presented with the award and $100,000 cash prize at a luncheon here in New York to recognize his pioneering work that applies new technologies to the search for ways to stimulate brain repair in people who have MS.

"The Barancik Prize was established to spur international progress toward stopping MS, restoring function and ending MS forever and we're proud to present the first award to Dr. Chan for his unique and innovative research into brain repair in MS," said Dr. Timothy Coetzee, chief research officer at the National MS Society. "Dr. Chan's bold thinking has the potential to transform the treatment of MS and is exactly the kind of accomplishment that we aim to recognize with the Barancik Prize," he continued.

"We believe in the power and influence that one creative and driven individual can have on the course of future events in creating a world free of MS," said Charles and Margery Barancik.

For this inaugural prize, the National MS Society received 27 nominations. Five finalists presented their work to a selection committee, which was comprised of leading MS advocates and research experts. "Selecting the first award winner out of five incredibly inventive and accomplished MS researchers was a real challenge," commented MS advocate/selection committee member Ms. Monia Joblin. "It is heartening to see the amazing progress being made by scientists on behalf of people who have MS," she continued.

Among the accomplishments for which he was recognized, Dr. Chan invented new nanofiber and micropillar technologies to rapidly identify compounds that stimulate the regrowth of the myelin nerve casing, which is damaged in MS. The "Binary Indicant for Myelination on Micropillar Arrays" (BIMA) uses arrays of fabricated "micropillars" that simulate nerve fibers. Myelin-making cells called oligodendrocytes form myelin around each micropillar, looking somewhat like the rings of a tree, enabling the team to study functional myelination. Dr. Chan has automated the detection and quantification of the myelin rings, and he is now testing thousands of compounds, including some FDA approved drugs, to develop a pipeline of novel and known agents that may promote remyelination and repair in MS.  By starting with FDA approved drugs, Dr. Chan hopes to identify candidate therapies that have already been shown to be safe for use in humans and can be rapidly moved into clinical trials in people with MS.  This strategy could shave years off the development of important new treatments. 

"Receiving the Barancik prize is a great honor, especially as I consider the other nominees to be such extraordinary scientists and clinicians. This prize acknowledges not only my efforts, but also the efforts of my colleagues and the talented students and postdocs that I have had the pleasure to work with. This award validates our work, encourages us to more daring in our science, and is a reminder that it is a privilege to contribute to something greater than ourselves."

Early in his career, Dr. Chan's work broke new ground by identifying factors that both promote and inhibit myelin formation.  In addition, he initiated studies on how the "microenvironment" of the nerve cell could influence the cell-fate of the oligodendrocyte precursor cell, and its differentiation into mature myelin-forming oligodendrocytes.