Scientific Breakthrough Award – 2021

2021 recipient

Peter Goadsby, MD, PhD

Professor Goadsby’s basic and translational research over the past three decades led to the seminal discovery of the role of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the pathophysiology of migraine and its identity as a target for drug development. He then led the design of a number of clinical trials that demonstrated the efficacy and safety of both small-molecule CGRP receptor antagonists (gepants) and monoclonal antibodies targeting the CGRP ligand or its canonical receptor. As a result, within the past three years, four monoclonal antibodies and two gepants have been approved for the preventive and acute treatment of migraine, respectively, and the lives of countless patients around the world have been changed.