as Crohn’s and rheumatoid
arthritis. Dr. Ransohoff sits on
the scientific advisory board at
ChemoCentryx Inc., a company
that is pursuing the clinical
development of chemokine
receptor blockers. “We’ve been
laboring away to make pills that
block chemokine receptors,” he
says. “It’s a long process because
we have to figure out the biology
of these molecules, identify
appropriate targets, and we
have to be right in our theory of
what’s going on in MS.”
Raising the possibility of repair
Meanwhile, Dr. Ransohoff’s
team has shown that chemokines
also may help determine
whether a nervous system
damaged by MS can repair
itself. He studied immature cells
that make myelin, a protective
sheath that surrounds and
supports nerve fibers and is
damaged by the immune attacks
in MS. Dr. Ransohoff and his
colleague Robert Miller, PhD
(Case Western University),
showed that deactivating a
specific chemokine receptor
enhanced the development
of the myelin-producing cells
in rodents, and allowed for
damaged myelin to be repaired
(The Journal of Neuroscience
1998;18:10457–10463).
About the John Dystel Prize
Oscar Dystel, National Board of Directors honorary life member, and
his late wife, Marion, established the John Dystel Multiple Sclerosis
Research Fund to honor their late son, John, a lawyer whose
promising career was cut short by progressive MS. The fund provides
for the John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research, which
is given to a scientist who has made significant contributions to the
understanding, treatment or prevention of MS.
A legend in the publishing world, Oscar Dystel also established
the John Dystel Nursing Fellowship, which trains registered nurses
specifically in MS care. John’s sister Jane—a literary agent and
active volunteer for the National MS Society—is continuing the
family’s tradition by joining her father in promoting MS research
and efforts to improve
care for people living
with severe MS. A third
generation has also
begun participating.
Jane’s son, Zachary,
contributed gifts he
received for his bar
mitzvah in 2005 to the
Society. The $15,000
John Dystel Prize for MS
Research, given jointly
by the National MS
COURTESY OF THE DYSTEL FAMILY
Society and the American Academy of Neurology, has been given
every year since 1995. To learn more, visit nationalMSsociety.org/
dystelprizewinners.
Investment pays off
Dr. Ransohoff began his research
career with a Harry Weaver
Neuroscience Scholarship Award
from the Society. “I wouldn’t
have had a career otherwise,” he
says. “I was a neurologist who
knew some molecular biology
techniques. I had no research
track record—the Society really
took a chance on me.”
Now he returns the favor,
having mentored dozens of
promising young scientists and
physicians who conduct research
or provide patient care around
the globe. Dr. Ransohoff tries to
inspire them with the daily joy
of doing research. “You never
know which day might be the
day that something thrilling
