Professor Sarah Tabrizi, Director of the UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre, has been awarded the British Neuroscience Association (BNA) Outstanding Contribution to Neuroscience Award for 2025, the association’s top annual prize.
The award, from the UK’s largest organisation dedicated to neuroscience, celebrates excellence and leadership in UK neuroscience.
According to the BNA, the award is recognising how her career exemplifies a transformative bridge between fundamental molecular discovery and clinical application. They credit her for achieving what few in neuroscience have accomplished: the successful translation of a fundamental genetic insight into potentially disease-modifying therapies for a previously untreatable neurodegenerative condition.
One of her most paradigm-shifting contributions lies in pioneering the first gene-targeting therapy for Huntington’s disease. As the global lead investigator for the landmark IONIS-HTTRx (Tominersen) trials, Professor Tabrizi led the complex first in-human studies that demonstrated, for the first time, that the toxic mutant huntingtin protein - the central genetic driver of Huntington’s disease - could be robustly and dose-dependently suppressed in the human brain.
This revolutionary proof-of-principle study validated the gene-silencing approach and instilled unprecedented hope within the Huntington’s disease community worldwide.
Most recently, Professor Tabrizi’s leadership in the early phase clinical trial of the gene therapy AMT-130 has yielded a major step forward for the field - a reported 75% slowing of disease progression over 36 months - marking a monumental step toward a treatment for this fatal condition.*
Professor Sarah Tabrizi, based in the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and a group leader in the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, said: "I am truly honoured to receive the BNA Outstanding Contribution to Neuroscience Award. This recognition is a testament not only to the dedication of the entire team at the UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre, but also to the unwavering support of our collaborators, patients, and families. Advancing research in Huntington’s disease is a collective effort, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work alongside so many wonderful colleagues at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, the UK Dementia Research Institute and beyond.
"While there is still much to do, I am encouraged by the progress we are making each year towards developing therapies that could change the lives of those affected by this devastating condition. My heartfelt thanks to the BNA for this recognition and for championing neuroscience across the UK."
Professor Tabrizi will deliver the Prize Lecture at the BNA Festive Symposium next month, taking place on 9 December 2025 at Canary Wharf, London.
Professor Mike Hanna, Director of the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, commented: "I’m thrilled to congratulate Sarah on this well-earned recognition. Through her leadership and vision, she has advanced our understanding of Huntington’s disease and inspired colleagues across UCL and the wider scientific community. Her achievements highlight the remarkable work in translational neuroscience at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology. We are delighted that her contributions have been honoured with this prestigious award."
Professor Narender Ramnani, President of the British Neuroscience Association, said: "Professor Sarah Tabrizi, a BNA member, is a true pioneer who has provided tangible hope to the entire Huntington’s disease community.
"She is a UK scientist who has fundamentally shifted the global landscape, leading worldwide trials for groundbreaking treatments that aim to silence the faulty gene at its source. This breakthrough was built on her foundational research, which allows us to detect the disease’s earliest changes, decades before symptoms appear. Her work has created the essential blueprint that all modern drug trials for Huntington’s now rely upon globally.
"Her work is a powerful demonstration of how the synergy between fundamental discovery and clinical neuroscience can make a profound difference for patient communities. It exemplifies translational neuroscience at its very best, combining rigorous research with a compassionate commitment to patients and their families. The BNA is proud to honour Professor Tabrizi for her transformative contributions."
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