Emeritus Fellow Angela Vincent FMedSci FRS has been awarded the Klaus Joachim Zülch prize, which is given for exceptional achievement in neurological research.
Professor Vincent shares the 2018 prize with Jerome Posner and Josep Dalmau for their research into how autoimmune disorders contribute to neurological conditions.
The three scientists have made advances in research by providing detailed clinical descriptions and developing simple diagnostic tests.
The Gertrud Reemtsma Foundation’s prize, which comes with a prize fund of €50,000 euros, will be awarded in Cologne on September 21.
The connection between autoimmune disorders and neurological illnesses came to public attention following the death of Knut, the polar bear that drowned at Berlin Zoo in 2011.
An autopsy revealed that the bear suffered from anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, a disease in which antibodies produced by the body’s immune system attack receptors in the brain.
Professor Vincent said: “I am honoured to have won the K.J. Zülch prize in recognition of our work on immune-mediated neurological diseases. I would also like to thank my colleagues at Somerville who have been a constant source of kindness and friendship over the last 30 years of my career.”
Gertrud Reemtsma established the Gertrud Reemtsma Foundation in 1989 in memory of her deceased brother, the neurologist Professor Dr. Klaus Joachim Zülch, former Director of the Cologne Department of General Neurology at the Max-Planck-Institute for Brain Research, in Frankfurt.