A CiMUS team recognized with the Fundación Barrié-Real Academia Galega de Ciencias Research Awards 

The research team ‘Gene Regulatory Control in Disease’ at CiMUS — a center that it is part of the CIGUS Network, an initiative promoted by the Xunta de Galicia that brings together the system’s centers accredited for their scientific excellence — led by Ashwin Woodhoo, has been awarded one of the runner-up prizes in the Basic Sciences category of the Fundación Barrié-Real Academia Galega de Ciencias Research Awards. They were recognized for their discovery of a new mechanism that explains why the protective layer of nerves is damaged in certain diseases. 

There are numerous conditions involving nerve injuries affecting the arms and legs, such as multiple sclerosis or Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, where the myelin — the fatty substance that coats nerve cells and allows for proper nerve impulse transmission — is lost for previously unknown reasons. In this context, the researchers identified a key mechanism in myelin formation, showing that when abnormalities occur, they trigger walking difficulties, muscle weakness, or numbness in the limbs. This discovery adds a new target for designing therapeutic strategies against these diseases. 

The Fundación Barrié-Real Academia Galega de Ciencias Research Awards aim to recognize the best research conducted in Galicia in the fields of Basic, Technical, and Social Sciences. The awards ceremony will take place on February 5 at the Pazo de San Roque in Santiago, coinciding with the opening of the RAGC’s academic year.