Christopher Shaw is Professor of Neurology and Neurogenetics at King’s College London. In addition to discovering novel mutations in the superoxide dismutase gene through their genome wide linkage studies, his group have discovered two other new loci ALS6 and FTD-ALS2. His recent findings point to new mechanisms in the pathogenesis of motor neurone disease involving aberrant mRNA processing that ultimately may be translated into treatments for this currently intractable and fatal condition. In addition to his success as a scientist he is an effective advocate for patients suffering from neurodegenerative disorders and an excellent communicator of Neuroscience to the lay public.