SAN DIEGO, July 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Alzheimer’s Association® will present seven awards at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® (AAIC®) 2022, recognizing researchers for their diverse expertise, remarkable achievements, and innovative contributions to the science of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
“Our understanding of dementia science owes a lot to these seven researchers and their collaborators,” said Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., chief science officer, Alzheimer’s Association. “The celebration of their achievements and their vigorous work in various fields of study is an inspiration to all of us in the scientific community as we strive to end Alzheimer’s disease and all other forms of dementia.”
AAIC Lifetime Achievement Awards
The AAIC Lifetime Achievement Awards are named in honor of: Henry WisniewskizMD, Ph.D.; Khalid Iqbal, doctorate; and Bengt Winblad, MD, Ph.D., the co-founders of the International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease, now known as the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. These awards honor significant contributions to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia research, either through a single scientific discovery or through a body of work.
Agneta Nordberg, MD, Ph.D., is the recipient of the Henry Wisniewski Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a professor of clinical neuroscience and director of the Nordberg Translational Molecular Imaging Lab at the Karolinska Institutet, as well as a senior consultant in geriatric medicine at Karolinska University Hospital. Her research is currently focused on developing early diagnostic biomarkers and new drug targets in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Nordberg has contributed greatly to the field’s understanding of the role of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in dementia, and has pioneered the use of brain amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to visualize abnormalities in tau protein and reactive astrogliosis.
Keith Johnson, MD, is the recipient of the Khalid Iqbal Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a professor at Harvard Medical Schoolthe director of molecular neuroimaging at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a neurologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is the co-principal investigator of the Harvard Aging Brain Study and leads the PET component of the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC). Johnson’s pioneering neuroimaging work has contributed greatly to the understanding of tau and amyloid pathology in Alzheimer’s disease, especially in the preclinical and early stages of the disease. His recent studies have focused on identifying the origin of tau pathology in deep brain structures and optimizing molecular imaging outcomes in Alzheimer’s disease prevention studies.
Peggye Dilworth-Anderson, Ph.D., is the recipient of the Bengt Winblad Lifetime Achievement Award. She is professor of health policy and management (School of Public Health) and associate of the Center for Health Equity (School of Medicine) at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is also a co-investigator for the Alzheimer’s Association’s new IDEAS study, which examines brain amyloid PET scans in diverse populations with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Dilworth-Anderson’s research into health inequalities in the care of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and the development of methods/strategies to advance an inclusive science in the study of Alzheimer’s disease have made a major contribution conducting culturally relevant research and have enabled a wider dissemination of information about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in medically disadvantaged populations.
Bill Thieso Price
The Bill Thieso Award for Distinguished Service to ISTAART (the Alzheimer’s Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment) recognizes an ISTAART member who has provided continued and outstanding service to the ISTAART community. The award honors William (Bill) ThiesoPh.D., died on Aug 16, 2020. During his tenure from 1998 to 2020 as medical and scientific director of the Alzheimer’s Association, and then as senior medical science advisor, Thies played a key role in bringing AAIC under the management of the Association. He launched the peer-reviewed journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia®: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Associationand the Alzheimer’s Association Research Roundtable.
Sandra E. Black, OC, MD, is the recipient of the 2022 Bill Thies Award for Distinguished Service to ISTAART. She is professor of neurology at the Sunnybrook Place, University of Toronto and director of the Dr. Sandra Black Center for Brain Resilience & Recovery at Sunnybrook Research Institute. A stroke and cognitive neurologist, Black helped build the Ontario Stroke System and is site director of the Heart & Stroke Foundation Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery. She was the inaugural executive director of the Toronto Dementia Research Alliance, a University of Toronto network of memory clinics that assess more than 2,000 new patients each year. Black was Vice Chair and Chair of the ISTAART Advisory Board between 2014 and 2018. She also co-chaired the Neuroimaging Professional Interest Area, served on the AAIC Scientific Planning Committee and has served on the Vascular PIA Executive Committee since inception. . Her research spans more than 30 years and over 600 articles and has had an invaluable impact on our understanding of the link between dementia and vascular health.
Zaven Khachaturian Award
Cynthia A. Lemere, Ph.D., is the recipient of the Zaven Khachaturian Award at AAIC 2022. This award is presented to an individual whose persuasive vision, selfless dedication and extraordinary achievement have significantly advanced the field of Alzheimer’s science. Lemere is associate professor of neurology at the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Lemere’s current research explores the potential for preclinical antibody treatments, vaccines, and ultrasound to disrupt amyloid plaque formation. She is also investigating the effects of cosmic rays on brain aging and Alzheimer’s risk, in preparation for NASA’s planned mission to Mars in the 2030s. As a whole, Lemere’s work has contributed immensely to our understanding of the immune system’s therapeutic power to fight disease. Alzheimer’s can be prevented and treated.
Inge-Grundke-Iqbal Award
Rakez Kayed, Ph.D., is this year’s recipient of the Inge Grundke-Iqbal Prize for Alzheimer’s research. This award is presented to the senior author of the most impactful study published in Alzheimer’s disease research in the two calendar years prior to AAIC. Kayed is a professor of neurology and a principal investigator in the Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Texas, Galveston. His work focuses on the mechanisms of protein misfolding and aggregation, new methods for studying amyloid shapes and the role of tau in abnormal cell transmission, cell death and disease progression in Alzheimer’s disease. He receives the Inge Grundke-Iqbal Award for being July 2021 paper in Mobile Reports“Tau Oligomer-Induced HMGB1 Release Contributes to Cellular Aging and Neuropathology Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia.” Kayed and team found that by blocking a specific protein in the brain, they could reduce neuroinflammation and tau tangles in mice. If replicated in humans, this finding opens up exciting new treatment options for reducing cell death and tau abnormalities in Alzheimer’s disease.
Blas Frangione Early Career Achievement Award
Mychael Vinicius Lourenco, Ph.D., is the recipient of the Blas Frangione Early Career Achievement Award in 2022. This award recognizes early career researchers whose pioneering research on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia has the potential to influence the field by taking it in new directions. to propel. Lourenco is an assistant professor of neuroscience and principal investigator of the Lourenco Lab at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He completed his BS, MS, Ph.D. and postgraduate training at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. His innovative research focuses on how inflammation and cellular stress contribute to memory loss, as well as the potential beneficial effects of the hormone irisin and exercise in Alzheimer’s models.
About the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® (AAIC®)
The Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) is the world’s largest gathering of researchers from around the world focusing on Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. As part of the Alzheimer’s Association research program, AAIC serves as a catalyst for generating new knowledge about dementia and fostering a vital, collegial research community.
AAIC 2022 home page: www.alz.org/aic/
AAIC 2022 editorial: www.alz.org/aic/pressroom.asp
AAIC 2022 hashtag: #AAIC22
About the Alzheimer’s Association®
The Alzheimer’s Association is a global voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer’s disease and all other forms of dementia – by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s and all other forms of dementia®. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.
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