The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and the American Brain Foundation will present the 2015 Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick’s, Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases to Peter Davies, investigator at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. He will receive the prize in Washington, DC, at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN)’s 67th Annual Meeting (18–25 April).
The Potamkin Prize honours researchers for their work in helping to advance the understanding of Pick’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. The AAN and the American Brain Foundation are awarding the 2015 Potamkin Prize to Davies and Reisa A Sperling, of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, USA. The US$100,000 prize—Davies and Reisa will each receive US$50,000—is an internationally recognised tribute for advancing dementia research. Davies’ research examines the process of Alzheimer’s disease.
“The problems with memory and other intellectual function that occur in Alzheimer’s disease are accompanied by the development of two abnormal structures in the brain called plaques and tangles,” said Davies. “In contrast to other work in the field, my guiding hypothesis has been that both these abnormalities derive from a disease process in the nerve cells and are consequences of disease, not the cause. Therefore, my research has largely focused on the disease process, and attempting to define points at which intervention is possible. A more detailed understanding of the process is essential to the development of drugs to slow, stop, or even prevent it.”
Davies is the director of the Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer’s Disease at the Feinstein Institute and professor of pathology and neuroscience at the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. Davies has published more than 250 research papers and has been particularly interested in the development of new treatments and diagnostic tests for Alzheimer’s disease.
“I am very grateful to the Potamkin family for the encouragement this award offers,” said Davies. “Funding for research in Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders is vitally important. The Potamkin family has continued to support this work in hopes of helping the millions affected by these diseases.”
