Congratulations to the AIMS-2-TRIALS team who have been awarded a Black Pearl Award for Patient Engagement, for their commitment to involving patients as equal partners in the AIMS-2-TRIALS consortium.

AIMS-2-TRIALS explores the biology of autism to tailor treatments and develop new medicines, to improve the health outcomes of underserved autistic communities. The research also explores rare genetic conditions associated with autism, including Phelan-McDermid syndrome, Fragile X and SHANK-related disorders. The EURORDIS – Rare Diseases Europe Awards recognise the major achievements and outstanding commitment of patient advocates, patient organisations, policymakers, scientists and companies who strive to make a difference for the rare disease community.

The AIMS-2-TRIALS researchers have been commended for the project’s long-standing commitment to involving autistic people as equal partners in research. The direct involvement from people living with autism and rare neurodevelopmental diseases across the entire project has led to a better understanding of shared biological pathways and to an improved infrastructure for clinical trials across Europe, benefiting communities previously underrepresented in research.

Several members of the Centre for Developmental Neurobiology (CDN) and the MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CNDD) have been involved in this work, as well as other members of King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience including Prof Emily Jones, Prof Eva Loth and Prof Declan Murphy, as well as Dr Bethany Oakley.

Prof Emily Jones, from CDN and CNDD, accepted the award at the EURORDIS Black Pearl Awards ceremony in Brussels on 24 February 2026, accepting an engraved trophy and delivering a short acceptance speech highlighting the critical role of partnership with people with lived experience in all stages of research.

Congratulations again to the AIMS-2-TRIALS team.