touchNEUROLOGY is delighted to congratulate Dr Amit Bar-Or of Penn Medicine on receiving the 2025 John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research, jointly awarded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMMS) and the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). This honour recognizes his groundbreaking work in neuroimmunology, precision medicine, and biomarker research in multiple sclerosis (MS).
Dr Bar-Or has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of immune cell interactions in MS and the role of B cells in disease progression—insights that helped pave the way for current high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies. His research has also informed the development of novel treatments, such as Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitors, now in phase III trials.
“Dr Bar-Or has been a key player in shaping the evolving conceptual framework of MS, including how the field thinks about early diagnosis, disease mechanisms, effective treatment, and stopping disease progression,” commented Bruce Bebo, PhD, Executive Vice President of Research at the National MS Society. “His contributions to neuroimmunology, precision medicine, and biomarker studies have a direct impact on the treatment of people with MS, and I am excited to see his research continue to inform how to stop disease progression and ultimately end MS.”
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Bar-Or led research into how MS therapies affect vaccine responses, providing critical guidance for clinicians and patients.
Through his Precision Neuroimmunology Platform, Dr Bar-Or is pioneering personalised approaches to MS treatment by identifying immune-based subgroups and developing biomarkers that support early diagnosis, prognosis and treatment decisions. He has made significant contributions to biomarker research in MS, helping to identify markers in blood and spinal fluid that may distinguish between different disease courses. Dr Bar-Or’s work supports early diagnosis and treatment decisions, and he has championed integrating biological studies into clinical trials to advance our understanding of disease mechanisms and therapeutic responses.
On receiving the award, Dr Bar-Or commented, “I am deeply honoured to be this year’s recipient of the Dystel Prize. We have been fortunate that our research interests have coincided with, and hopefully contributed to, therapeutic advances in MS. There is nothing more gratifying than being recognized by one’s peers – which at least suggests our work is on the right track, as part of international efforts by multiple groups aimed at further elucidating MS disease mechanisms and optimizing care for individuals living with MS.”
The award was presented at the AAN 2025 Annual Meeting in San Diego on April 8, where Dr Bar-Or delivered the Dystel Prize lecture.
Learn more about the National MS Society here.
Disclosure: This short article was prepared by touchNEUROLOGY. No fees or funding were associated with the publication of this article.
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