Neurologist Kappos wins Dystel Prize for advancing MS research
Researcher’s work praised as key to understanding disease
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A scientist performs research. (Image from iStock)
- Neurologist Ludwig Kappos received the Dystel Prize for multiple sclerosis research.
- He advanced disease-modifying therapies, including oral medications, for MS.
- Kappos helped improve disability assessment and understanding of the disease.
Ludwig Kappos, MD, a neurologist and researcher at University Hospital in Basel, Switzerland, has been named the 2026 recipient of the John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research for his central role in advancing understanding and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and monitoring of disease progression.
The $40,000 prize, one of the highest honors in the MS field, was jointly awarded by the National MS Society and the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). Kappos will accept the award at the AAN 2026 annual meeting, being held April 18-22 in Chicago. He will deliver the Dystel Prize lecture on April 19.
“Dr. Kappos is one of the most influential leaders in modern MS research,” Bruce Bebo, PhD, chief research and medical affairs officer at the National MS Society, said in a society press release. “His work has helped shape how we design clinical trials, evaluate new therapies, and ultimately care for people living with MS. Few individuals have had such a broad and lasting impact on the field.”
Kappos, who directs the Research Center for Clinical Neuroimmunology and Neuroscience Basel, has helped advance MS research and treatments in numerous ways, the society said. He played a central role in clinical trials evaluating the safety and effectiveness of most disease-modifying therapies now approved to treat MS. These therapies marked important advances at the time they were introduced, improving control of disease activity, expanding treatment options to include oral medications, and, in some cases, offering the first benefits for people with progressive forms of the disease, who have historically had limited treatment options.
Advancing understanding of disease activity, progression
Kappos has also contributed to improving how disability is assessed and disease activity is monitored in MS. He helped establish standardized versions of the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), the most widely used tool to measure MS disability, and supported the integration of MRI scans as a central tool for tracking disease activity and evaluating treatment responses.
He and his team have also helped advance understanding of the mechanisms underlying disease progression in MS, including progression independent of relapse activity, or PIRA, in which disability accrues independently of relapses. This work has challenged the traditional ideas that relapses are the primary driver of disability worsening in relapsing forms of MS, and that progression occurring in the absence of relapses is exclusive to progressive forms of the disease.
In addition to his scientific contributions, Kappos continues to lead international collaborations and train the next generation of MS researchers.
“Receiving the Dystel Prize is a very special highlight of a long journey that has been successful and rewarding because of the joint efforts of many highly esteemed colleagues in Basel and internationally,” Kappos said. “The prize is a strong motivator for our group to continue and expand on innovative and productive collaborations across disciplines and borders in the best interest of people with MS and other neuroimmune diseases.”
The Dystel Prize was established by the late Oscar Dystel, a former society board member, and his late wife, Marion, in honor of their son, who died in 2003 from MS complications. Kappos was nominated for the award by several leaders in MS research, including previous recipients of the prize.
Amit Bar-Or, MD, a neurologist at the University of Pennsylvania and winner of the 2025 Dystel Prize, said Kappos “has made enormous contributions to the field of MS.”
“He has had profound impact on the science of clinical trial conduct, outcome measures and interpretation, and has provided essential clinical and academic perspectives that have helped guide the development of multiple now-approved MS therapies,” Bar-Or said. “In addition, the remarkable MS program he has built in Basel is world-leading and sets the bar for how to merge cutting edge imaging and biomarker science with comprehensive clinical evaluations to meaningfully investigate and improve the care of individuals living with MS.”
Kappos has received honors including the 2025 Charcot Award, a distinction given every two years in recognition of achievements in MS research.
