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Leading Alzheimer's Disease Researchers Recognized M E T L I F E F O U N D A T I O N R ECE NTLY a nnounced the r e c i p i e n t s o f t h e 2 0 14 MetLife Foundation Awards for Medical Research: R iqia ng Ya n, Ph.D., vice chair of the Department of Neurosciences, Lerner Resea rch I n s t it ut e, C le v el a nd C l i n ic; a nd Lar y C. Walker, Ph.D., resea rch professor of neu- ropharmacolog y a nd neurolog ic d i s e a s e s a n d associate profes- sor of neurology, Yerkes National P r i m ate R esea rch Center, Emor y University (Atlanta, GA) and Mathias Jucker, Ph.D., full professor, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (Tübingen, Germany), who were g iven t he aw a rd joi nt ly. Jie Shen, Ph.D., professor of neurolog y, Har vard Medical School Center for Ne u r olo g ic a l D i s e a s e s , Br i g h a m a nd Women's Hospit a l Center for Neurologic Diseases (Boston, M A), wa s given the Promising Resea rch in A lzheimer's Disease Award. The winners were recognized at a scientific br ief ing a nd aw a rd s ceremony in New York. Dr. Yan is co-discoverer of the protein BACE1, an enzyme that cleaves the amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) to form amyloid-beta (Aβ), a protein that is the main component of amyloid plaques. A β deposits in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, damaging their brain cells (neurons). BACE1 is seen as an important drug target for Alzheimer's therapy based on trying to decrease amyloid deposition. Working collaboratively, Drs. Jucker a nd Wa l ker pioneered a u n i f y ing principle for the onset and evolution of late-life bra in disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, based on similarities with rare, fatal disorders known as prion diseases. They have amassed compelling experimental evidence that small aggregates of the basic proteins in these diseases act as "seeds" that start a domino-like chain reaction that causes similar proteins to aggregate and spread the disease throughout the brain. Using a combination of resea rch techniques, Dr. Shen elucidated the norma l f unction of t he presenilin gene in t he developing, adult a nd aging brain. Her work revealed the importance of presenilins in memory, synaptic function and age-related sur- vival of neurons. Presenilins, a family of proteins, have been implicated in several early onset forms of familial Alzheimer's disease. Now in their 28th year, the awards provide outstanding researchers with an opportunity to freely pursue new ideas. At the hea rt of the progra m is a belief in research as the road to understanding and ultimately treating this devastating disease. This year, $600,000 in awards has been given. The MetLife Foundation Awards for Medical Research are managed by the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR). Founded in 1981, AFAR has championed the cause and supported the funding of science in healthier aging and age-related medicine. According to recent estimates, with- out the development of treatments that either delay its onset or slow its progres- sion, by 2050 well over 100 million and possibly as many as 200 million people worldwide will be living with Alzheimer's disease. The time spent caring for people with A lzheimer's disease will be measured in billions of hours, and the cost will be trillions of dollars. ■ 1 2 | Cleveland/Akron/Canton MD NEWS ■ M D N E W S . CO M ■ J U LY/AU G U S T 2 0 1 4