Three Researchers Awarded AAN Potamkin Prize for Alzheimer's Research

Newswise — The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is awarding the 2009 Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick's, Alzheimer's, and Related Diseases to three researchers for their work in Alzheimer's disease research. Michael Wolfe, PhD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Robert Vassar, PhD, of Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University; and Berislav V. Zlokovic, MD, PhD, of the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, NY, will receive the award during the AAN's 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, held April 25 through May 2, 2009.

The Potamkin Prize honors and rewards researchers for their work in helping to advance the understanding of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. The $100,000 prize is to be used toward continuing Alzheimer's research and will be shared evenly between the three researchers.

Though the study designs vary, the work of each of the three researchers involves potential drug therapy for Alzheimer's patients to enhance clearance, reduce production, or block the enzymes that produce a sticky substance called amyloid. Amyloid builds up in the brain and is toxic to nerve cells.

An earlier discovery by Vassar confirms that beta-secretase enzyme (BACE), one of two amyloid producing enzymes, is a prime target for drug therapies aimed at interfering with its action in the brain. Current drugs only provide temporary benefits for memory symptoms of Alzheimer's and do not treat the underlying causes.

Recently, Vassar showed that BACE levels are increased in Alzheimer's. "With the observation that BACE is elevated in the disease, and the discovery of the molecular mechanism responsible for this BACE increase comes promise that therapies could be developed to block the BACE increase," said Vassar. "If we can prevent the overproduction of beta-amyloid, we may be able to slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer's."

Wolfe discovered gamma-secretase, the other amyloid-producing enzyme that is involved in causing Alzheimer's disease. "The better we understand what gamma-secretase is and how it works, the more likely it is that effective medications that target this enzyme can be developed," said Wolfe.

Zlokovic's work included the study of decreased blood flow and has identified molecular mechanisms responsible for faulty clearance of amyloid -peptide across the blood-brain barrier resulting in cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's.

"We believe that this emerging concept of Alzheimer's will lead to novel treatments directed at amyloid clearance, blood flow and preventing amyloid re-entry from blood to brain," said Zlokovic. "Therapeutic approaches based on our proposed clearance model are currently being studied in Alzheimer's patients."

The Potamkin Prize is made possible by the philanthropic contributions of the Potamkin family of New York, Philadelphia, and Miami. The goal of the prize is to help attract the best medical minds and most dedicated scientists in the world to the field of dementia research. The Potamkins have been the Academy's single largest individual donor since 1988, providing more that $2 million to fund the Potamkin Prize.

The 61st Annual Meeting, one of the world's largest gatherings of neurology professionals, takes place in the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle.

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 21,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis.

For more information, visit http://www.aan.com/awards.