The ENCALS Young investigator Award recognises outstanding ALS research undertaken by the brightest and best young scientists in the field. Rubika, a visiting scientist in the Human Stem Cells and Neurodegeneration lab, received the gold medal at this year's awards. Congratulations!

The ENCALS Young Investigator Award

The ENCALS Young Investigator Award was designed to recognise the best scientists for outstanding research in ALS. It is judged by the ENCALS Award Committee, an international panel of experts lead by Professor Ammar Al-Chalabi. Criteria include any or all of novelty, challenge to existing ideas about ALS, results with patient benefit, and impact on our understanding of ALS.

Rubika's award

Rubika is a visiting scientist in the Patani lab, which studies diseases of the nervous system, focusing on motor neuron disease and dementia, using human stem cells generated from real patients. She is also a clinical lecturer in neurology at UCL, working in the wards and clinics at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (UCLH) and doing research into motor neuron disease (MND) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) at UCL.

Rubika's research has involved investigating molecular mechanisms and therapeutic strategies in ALS/FTD caused by a mutation in a gene called C9orf72. She has studied how mutated C9orf72 leads to abnormal proteins being made which cause cell death, and also potential therapies to combat this. 

With expertise in translational research, Rubika is committed to applying findings from basic science into developing innovative approaches to treat ALS and FTD.

On winning the award, Rubika said:

I am incredibly grateful and honoured to be the recipient of this prestigious award. I have dedicated my career to MND and FTD research, and it means a great deal to be selected. I am very thankful to the ENCALS Award Committee for their recognition. My research would not be possible without a team of many other people, including people living with MND and FTD who have donated cells for the stem cell research and contributed to the clinical databases and trials I studied. I am privileged to have had the support of brilliant supervisors, mentors, colleagues, collaborators and funders, working towards a common goal of understanding and treating these diseases. I feel deeply indebted to all of them. I am particularly thankful to Professor Rickie Patani for his incredible supervision and mentorship, which has been instrumental for my research, and to all the members of his laboratory for their invaluable input and support. I am committed to finding effective treatments for MND and FTD.

Huge congratulations!