Ministry of Health awards Medal of Distinguished Service to President of FCT

On World Health Day (celebrated on April 7), the Ministry of Health awarded the Distinguished Service Medal to individuals or institutions that have performed acts of selflessness, charity, altruism, or benevolence, or have provided outstanding services to public health or social welfare.

The gold medal awarded to Miguel Seabra, President of FCT, recognizes his contribution to scientific research, particularly in identifying the genetic and cellular bases of choroideremia, a hereditary retinal disease that leads to progressive blindness. The work led by Miguel Seabra over 20 years has directly led to the first gene therapy for choroideremia. The clinical trial (phase 1) produced surprising and very positive results in the patients involved: several patients showed real improvements in their vision in dim light, and two of these patients showed an ability to read more lines on the optometric chart. The results of this study were published in the Lancet journal in January this year.

In addition to the President, two members of the FCT Scientific Councils also received Silver Medals for Distinguished Service: António Jacinto (Director of CEDOC – Center for Chronic Diseases, Faculty of Medical Sciences, New University of Lisbon) and Rui Reis (Director of Associate Laboratory , University of Minho).

World Health Day is celebrated annually, on the initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO). This year, the WHO is warning of the risks of vector-borne diseases (mosquitoes, flies, ticks, etc.) such as dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever.