Professor Sarah Tabrizi has been appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours in recognition of her services to people with Huntington’s disease and her pioneering contributions to neurological research.
Professor Tabrizi is a Group Leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) at UCL, Director of the UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre and Joint Head of the Department of Neurodegenerative Disease at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology. Over nearly three decades, she has led groundbreaking research that has transformed understanding of Huntington’s disease and helped establish entirely new approaches to treatment.
Her multidisciplinary work combines fundamental laboratory science with clinical research involving patients, generating major insights into the biology and progression of Huntington’s disease. This research has helped redefine the disease from a condition once considered untreatable to one that is increasingly viewed as therapeutically tractable.
Among her most significant recent achievements has been leadership of the early-stage clinical trial of the gene therapy AMT-130. Reported results indicated a 75% slowing of disease progression over 36 months, representing a major advance in the search for effective treatments for Huntington’s disease and providing renewed hope for patients and families affected by the condition.
Responding to the honour, Professor Tabrizi said the recognition reflected the collective efforts of researchers, clinicians and the Huntington’s disease community. She paid tribute to the patients and families who have participated in research programmes, describing their commitment, resilience and courage as the driving force behind scientific progress.
Professor Tabrizi also acknowledged colleagues at the Huntington’s Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCLH National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and the UK DRI, as well as major funding organisations that have supported her work.
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Professor Siddharthan Chandran, Director of the UK DRI, described the honour as richly deserved, praising Professor Tabrizi’s decades of dedication and stating that her research had transformed expectations for what may be possible in Huntington’s disease treatment.
This news item has been summarised using AI and checked by humans before publication.
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