British neuroscientist wins Hartwig Piepenbrock-DZNE Prize for contributions to dementia research

Reviewed by Danielle Ellis, B.Sc.Jul 13 2023

This year's "Hartwig Piepenbrock-DZNE Prize", endowed with 60,000 euros, goes to the British neuroscientist Alison Goate, DPhil. The award recognizes her outstanding contributions to research into Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. Professor Goate researches and teaches at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, an international leader in biomedical education, research, and patient care located in New York City. The prize is presented jointly by the Piepenbrock Group and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE). The award ceremony will take place in Bonn, Germany next December.

Alison Goate has been a leading authority on the genetic factors of dementia for more than thirty years. Her research has provided major insights into the disease process and contributed to the development of novel treatment options."

Professor Pierluigi Nicotera, Chairman of DZNE's Executive Board

"Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases need more publicity and awareness. The Hartwig Piepenbrock-DZNE Prize is our way of supporting this," said Olaf Piepenbrock, managing partner of the Piepenbrock Group. "The scientists are making an important contribution and thus laying the foundation for new possibilities for prevention and treatment. Neurodegenerative diseases cause enormous physical and psychological burdens - not only for patients, but also for caregiving relatives. It is important to us to bring Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases into the public discussion and to create a better understanding of the needs of affected patients and their family members."

About the Laureate

Alison Mary Goate was born in the UK and studied at the University of Bristol and the University of Oxford. She worked at Washington University in St. Louis from 1992 to 2014 prior to joining Icahn School of Medicine in 2015. She is founding director of the Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease at Mount Sinai in New York City. Her research is directed at hereditary factors that play a role in neurodegenerative diseases. Over the years, Dr. Goate has been involved in the discovery of several gene variants (mutations) that are relevant to Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia: Some of these mutations actually cause disease, while others just increase the risk of disease. Goate’s research has laid important groundwork for the development of so-called anti-amyloid and anti-tau agents. Anti-amyloid drugs have recently been approved in the U.S. for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, while anti-tau agents are still being tested. Goate has already been honored multiple times for her scientific achievements.