The 10th Annual Norman Saunders Jacob’s Ladder International Research Prize was awarded to Dr. Charles A. Thorton, MD a professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. As recipient of the Research Prize Dr. Thorton was brought to Toronto by Jacob’s Ladder to lecture on his innovative research at Grand Rounds at the Hospital for Sick Kids on January 11, 2010.
Dr. Thorton received the coveted award as a result of his extensive research into innovative therapies for neurogenetic disease. His work focuses primarily on myotonic dystrophy, a neurodegenerative disease which is a chronic, multisystem disease affecting not only the muscles but the eyes and heart as well.
Dr. Thornton’s research is particularly interesting because Dr. Thorton has discovered that mutations in the gene that cause myotonic dystrophy are not unique to the disease but that these toxic mutations appear to play a role in causing several other inherited neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, Dr. Thorton is developing treatments designed to reverse the toxic effects of the disease-causing mutations.
We applaud Dr. Thornton on his innovative research and congratulate him on being honoured as the Norman Saunders Jacob’s Ladder International Research Prize recipient for 2009.
For more detailed information on Dr. Thorton’s work please visit http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/.
