Each year, we award the prestigious Alan J. Gebhart Prize for Excellence in Peripheral Nerve Research during our awards ceremony at the PNS Annual Meeting. This award recognizes Active PNS Members’ ongoing contributions to our mission of “improving the lives of people with peripheral neuropathies.” The unrestricted cash prize is awarded to an established researcher or researchers in the peripheral nerve field. This year the award is shared between two PNS members who have made outstanding contributions to the field. 

Vincent Timmerman, PhD, MSc, BSc
University of Antwerp, Belgium

By Alessandra Bolino, PhD, PNS President

Vincent is a full professor and group leader of the Peripheral Neuropathy Research Group at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. He has a PhD in Molecular Genetics, during which he cloned and identified the first gene responsible for Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathies in 1992. Not only did he clone the first gene but he also contributed to the setup of a diagnostic tool allowing the detection of the most frequent mutation in CMT, the duplication of the PMP22 gene responsible for CMT1A with evident clinical implications.

Since then, he contributed to identifying several genes responsible for CMT and peripheral neuropathies in general. Then he moved to a more translational approach by elucidating molecular mechanisms at the basis of CMT neuropathies. More recently, he contributed to developing patient-derived iPSC models and more advanced 3D systems that better capture disease biology. The establishment of the SCREEN4PN platform provides a potent tool to evaluate candidate therapies in relevant human models.

Vincent deserves this prize not only for the outstanding achievements in science during the last three decades but also for the contribution to the CMTR and PNS community. He provided mentorship to many PhD students and postdocs, many of whom have gone on to establish independent careers in academia and industry.

He has long been involved in international initiatives within the Peripheral Nerve Society and related networks, and more recently has taken on a leading role as President of the European CMT Research Association (ECRA). In this capacity, he has been instrumental in fostering collaboration and coordination across the European CMT research landscape.

Peter Van den Bergh, MD, PhD
University Hospital Saint-Luc, University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

By David Cornblath, MD, PNS Board Member-at-Large

Professor Emeritus Peter Van den Bergh has been an active member of the PNS for many years, having been a member of the Board from 2021-2024; Chair of the INC SIG from 2019-2021 and chair or vice-chair of the Guidelines Committee from 2021-2024. He has also been a liaison for the PNS with the EAN and other organizations.

Author of over 200 peer-reviewed papers, Peter’s research has included many aspects of neuromuscular disease but has primarily been focused on peripheral neuropathies and the role of electrodiagnostic studies. His involvement in IGOS, PERINOMS, IMAGINE and other consortiums attest to the important role he plays in research in peripheral neuropathies. He has made important contributions in clarifying nerve conduction parameters in GBS, CIDP and paraprotein related neuropathies.

It is his remarkable involvement and leadership of the EFNS/PNS and EAN/PNS Guidelines that has had the most profound impact on our field. His ability to organize, consolidate and synthesize a wealth of information and the input and opinions of multiple experts is exceptional. The guidelines have been the key components of enrollment in virtually all clinical trials of CIDP and MMN and have stood the test of time. They are probably the most identifiable works that are associated with the Peripheral Nerve Society and will be a model for future guidelines in our field.