The 2022 Bengt Falck Prize goes to Professor Angela Cenci Nilsson at EMV

By sofia_b [dot] liljedahl [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se (Sofia B Liljedahl) - published 20 June 2023

Professor Angela Cenci Nilsson receives the Bengt Falck prize from Dean Kristina Åkesson. Photo. — Prize ceremony at EMV Strawberry feast. Professor Angela Cenci Nilsson and Dean Kristina Åkesson.

For her research on new symptomatic and disease-modifying treatments for Parkinson´s disease and related diseases of the basal ganglia. Through her work Professor Cenci Nilsson has developed preclinical models that mimic Parkinson’s disease, particularly in the area of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia, where she has used these models to discover disease mechanisms and new therapeutic approaches.

How does it feel to receive this award?
"I am truly happy to be awarded the Bengt Falck 2022 Prize. Bengt Falck and his pupils helped establish a very strong neuroscience research environment in Lund. I am touched and honoured to be recognised as a deserving member of this environment".

What could your research mean for patients in the future?
"Our research has identified several treatment principles improving symptoms of Parkinson´s disease and countering the complications of its current therapies. In March this year, two different clinical trials (supported by a large non-profit US Foundation) announced positive results in patients with Parkinson´s disease for treatments that we, ourselves had first evaluated with success in animal models of Parkinson´s disease. These results are very encouraging and show that ideas and results produced through experimental research in animals can benefit people who suffer from this debilitating disease. I hope that our research can make a definite impact on the way Parkinson´s disease is managed, particularly regarding pharmacological strategies to control Parkinson´s disease symptoms and interfere with the underlying neurodegenerative process".

About the Bengt Falck Prize in Neuroscience

Bengt Falck is Professor Emeritus of Histology at Lund University and one of the Faculty of Medicine's internationally prominent researchers. Together with Nils-Åke Hillarp, he developed a method for detecting important neurotransmitters in nerve cells. The research was published in 1962 and was richly cited in medical and natural science journals. The prize money of SEK 27,000 comes from the "Hanna and Elsa Larsson Fund for Medical Research".