10 Mar 2003

One of the most prestigious honors for researchers in Alzheimer’s, Niemann-Pick disease, and related disorders this year went jointly to David Holtzman of Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, and Ashley Bush of Massachusetts General Hospital in Charlestown. The $100,000 prize is made possible by philanthropic contributions of the Potamkin family of New York, in memory Luba Potamkin, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 1978. Established in 1988, the prize recognizes excellence in research dedicated to finding the cause and an effective therapy for these diseases. Robert Terry won the first prize in 1988; since then, other recipients have included researchers from the U.S., Australia, Germany, Japan, Italy, and other countries.

Both David Holtzman’s and Ashley Bush’s research has been covered on the Alzheimer Research Forum (Alzforum) (see, for example, ARF related news story). Both scientists also contribute to Alzforum. David Holtzman is a member of our current Scientific Advisory Board, and not only regularly annotates the literature, but also contributes meeting reports (see CAA conference report). Holtzman was honored, in part, for his work showing how ApoE appears to facilitate the disease process, and Bush for his work on metal-induced oxidative changes. Holtzman and Bush will receive the prize at the 2003 annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu on April 2. Congratulations!—Gabrielle Strobel.