The Pfizer Research Prize is awarded for outstanding research in Switzerland
Maxime Baud, MD, PhD, Staff neurologist at the Wyss Center, and epileptologist at the University of Bern and Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), was awarded the Pfizer Research Prize for his work in the field of neuroscience and nervous system disorders.
The research, carried out in collaboration with colleagues from the University of California, San Francisco found that epilepsy seizures are linked to cycles of brain activity. The research suggests it may be possible for clinicians to predict and evaluate the risk of epileptic seizures in clinical practice.
The Wyss Center is building on these research results by developing a minimally invasive device that will offer an alternative to current epilepsy monitoring methods. The device will use flexible electrodes that slip under the skin of the skull to allow chronic recordings of brain activity enabling people with epilepsy to continue with their daily lives during monitoring.
The Pfizer Research Prize, first awarded in 1992, is one of the most prestigious awards in the field of medical research in Switzerland. It is awarded to young researchers who have carried out exceptional studies in the fields of basic or clinical research.
The award ceremony was held in Zurich on Thursday 7 February 2019. Twenty-four researchers from Basel, Basel-Country, Bellinzona, Geneva, Lausanne, Lugano and Lucerne were awarded prizes to the total value of 180,000 Swiss francs. To date, 350 researchers have received this reward with the total prize money representing more than six million Swiss francs.
This year’s award highlights promising scientific approaches to the discovery of potential new therapeutics for diseases in areas ranging from cardiovascular, urology and nephrology; infectious diseases, rheumatology and immunology; neuroscience and nervous system disorders; oncology and paediatrics.
Read more about Maxime and the e-Lab’s research work on epilepsy at Bern University Hospital (external link).
