Neuro-immunologist Stephen Hauser , MD, whose maverick thinking transformed the treatment landscape for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), has received the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.
Hauser, a UCSF professor of neurology and director of the Weill Institute for Neurosciences , was recognized April 5 for overturning "the scientific consensus on the mechanism of MS, identifying the immune system's B cells as the primary driver of damage to nerve cells." The award also cited his instrumental role in developing therapies that have "revolutionized modern treatment of the disease."
Hauser shares the award with Alberto Ascherio, MD, DrPH, of Harvard University, who discovered that contracting the Epstein-Barr virus raises the risk of developing MS by a factor of 32.
Now in its 14th year, the Breakthrough Prize was created by founding sponsors Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Julia and Yuri Milner, and Anne Wojcicki as the "Oscars of science." Prizes of $3 million are given for three awards in life sciences, one in fundamental physics and one in mathematics. This year, there is a special prize in fundamental physics.
"It is an honor to accept the Breakthrough Prize," Hauser said. "This was the work of many: physician-scientists who connected laboratory with clinic; industry leaders and private funders who believed in high-risk undertakings; the National Institutes of Health that over many years supported the foundational science; and especially the patients who courageously partnered with us in clinical trials. Without them, this breakthrough would not have been possible."
'Dogged determination' results in B-cell breakthrough
... Treatment for MS has been transformed, in no small part due to Steve's dogged determination ..."
Hauser's B-cell theory had been described as "biologically implausible" in challenging the prevailing thought that T cells caused the breakdown of the nerve coating myelin that is involved in MS. Hauser's work identified B-cells as the culprit in orchestrating the immune damage that attacks the myelin, causing inflammation and disrupting nerve signals. That theory triumphed and led to the 2017 approval of ocrelizumab, the first in a new class of therapies for MS.
"A few decades ago, young scientists were advised to pick another disease to study," said UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood , MBBS. "Today, treatment for MS has been transformed, in no small part due to Steve's dogged determination in uncovering the role of B cells the immune damage."
Since then, B-cell therapies have become standard of care for patients globally, reducing relapses, halting or delaying disability progression, and decreasing lesions and brain volume loss. Today, ocrelizumab is the bestselling drug in the history of pharmaceutical giant F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, reflecting the demand for therapies in the field.
The new therapies have also transformed the prognosis for patients who face the debilitating disease.
"In the past, newly diagnosed patients would be told that they may require a cane or wheelchair within 15 years. Today, our data indicate that many new patients can expect lives free from disability," Hauser said.
"I have never been more optimistic for the future: what's in store for our patients today, as well as those developing MS in the future, who may soon be diagnosed - and treated - even before they experience their first symptom ."
