MetLife Foundation Awards for Medical Research in Alzheimer's Disease: Four scientists honored

Complementary approaches to Alzheimer's research were recognized as four scientists received the prestigious MetLife Foundation Awards for Medical Research in Alzheimer's Disease in Washington, D.C. during a scientific briefing and luncheon.  Todd E. Golde, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neuroscience at the University of Florida and director of its Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, and Edward H. Koo, M.D., professor of neuroscience at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, were honored alongside Eckhard Mandelkow, Ph.D., and Eva-Maria Mandelkow, M.D., Ph.D., director and principal investigator, respectively, of the Max-Planck-Institute for Structural Molecular Biology in Hamburg, Germany.

This year's recipients are examples of how differing schools of thought can come together to solve some of the world's most vexing problems. Drs. Koo and Golde have together identified the gamma-secretase modulators that decrease production of the highly toxic 42 amino acid "long" form of ABeta, which holds great promise for drug therapies to treat or prevent Alzheimer's.  Drs. Mandelkow and Mandelkow, a husband and wife team, have been seeking therapies through analysis of the pathological folding of tau protein, its aggregation to Alzheimer neurofibrillary tangles, and the development of inhibitors of this aberrant aggregation. Both approaches, though divergent in many ways, are now believed to hold promise for each other in disease treatment research.

Since 1986, MetLife Foundation has granted major awards to scientists who have demonstrated significant contributions to the understanding of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The program's goal is to recognize the importance of basic research with an emphasis on providing scientists the opportunity to pursue ideas. Each winner received a $100,000 research grant and personal prize of $25,000 to further their work.

According to recent estimates, more than 26 million people worldwide are believed to be living with Alzheimer's disease. In the United States, as many as 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer's, making it the seventh leading cause of death.  If current population trends continue, the number of people with AD will increase to 7.7 million by the year 2030, unless the disease can be effectively treated, delayed, or prevented. The direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer's and other dementias to Medicare, Medicaid, and businesses amount to more than $148 billion each year, according to the Alzheimer's Association.  Alzheimer's and dementia triple healthcare costs for Americans age 65 and older.

"MetLife Foundation has long recognized the impact Alzheimer's has on families, society and the economy," said C. Robert Henrikson, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of MetLife, Inc. "We continue our commitment to support the outstanding scientists who are making strides and developing methods to combat and, perhaps someday, prevent Alzheimer's disease from impacting future generations."

"Millions around the world look to science to find hope for the families affected by Alzheimer's, and the scientists we have honored -- today and in year's past -- truly represent the best of what the scientific world has to offer," said Dennis White, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation. "These awards are an investment in the future and we thank our awardees for their vital contributions."

The event's keynote speech was delivered by photographer Judith Fox, author of the book I Still Do: Loving and Living with Alzheimer's, which puts a human face on Alzheimer's through photographs and poetic writing. The book, named "one of the best of 2009" by Photo-Eye Magazine, tells the story of Fox's husband, Dr. Edmund Ackell, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's three years into their marriage. Fox was the owner of a large temporary service company on the East Coast, and her photographic work is in solo and group museum and gallery shows from New York to California, as well as in private, corporate, and museum collections throughout the United States and Europe.

The awards program began with a research briefing during which the award recipients elaborated on their work. The briefing was moderated by Robert N. Butler, M.D., president and chief executive officer of the International Longevity Center - USA, and Professor of Geriatrics, Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. Dr. Butler is the chair of the MetLife Foundation's Research Committee and also the founding director of the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health.  

"Alzheimer's disease research is crucial to saving an aging population from its devastating effects," said Dr. Butler. "The personal and societal costs are staggering because Alzheimer's takes away the essence of individuals and robs years from their families. Through these awards, MetLife Foundation has demonstrated sustained support for scientists working to unravel the mystery of Alzheimer's by providing leading scientists with the funds to freely pursue their life-saving ideas."

SOURCE MetLife Foundation