Canadian researcher wins international award for work in rheumatology

Toronto, ON — February 11, 2003 — Dr Robin Poole, scientific director of the Canadian Arthritis Network, is the co-winner of the Carol Nachman Prize for 2003 for outstanding research in rheumatology. The award was announced today by Chris Nelson, president of the Network.

Dr Poole will receive the award for his innovative work on the way in which osteoarthritis develops. The prize is shared with Dr Paul Plotz, chief, Arthritis and Rheumatism Branch of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in the US. Awarded annually by the German Institute for Clinical Immunology, the prize will be presented to Dr Poole in Wiesbaden, Germany at a ceremony in May. The prize carries an award of (euro) 38,000 (C$62,000).

“Dr Poole has devoted his life to research on the cause of arthritis,” says Chris Nelson. “His pioneering work on the study of damage to the cartilage in joints brings us closer to a cure for arthritis. He has identified substances that affect cartilage degradation, so for the first time, it may be possible to develop a therapy that repairs cartilage damaged in arthritis.”

Dr Poole received a BSc degree and a PhD from the University of Reading in the UK. He came to Canada in 1977 from his position as senior scientist in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Pathology and has enjoyed a distinguished career in medical research. He was appointed director of the Joint Diseases Laboratory of the Shriners Hospital for Children in Montreal, professor of surgery in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University and adjunct associate professor in the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Montreal.