Professor receives research award for pioneering work with MRI to find MS lesions
Frederik Barkhof, MD, PhD, a professor of neuroradiology at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, has won the 2018 John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Research for his work using MRI to improve diagnosis and understanding of the disease.
Barkhof, also a professor at University College London, and his team defined guidelines to focus on specific brain regions to look for MS-related lesions—known as the Barkhof criteria, Multiple Sclerosis News Today reports.
The award-winner has also contributed to the expanding use of imaged-based clinical trials, which has improved effectiveness of treatment candidates and numerous other areas of MS diagnosis.
“In my opinion, no advance in MS research has made more of an impact on the disease than MRI and Professor Barkhof has been at the forefront of this effort since the early stages of its development,” Henry F. McFarland, MD, the 1998 Dystel Prize winner, said in a press release.
The prize, is awarded yearly by the National MS Society and the American Academy of Neurology and will be presented at the 2018 AAN Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.