Dr. Stanley Prusiner C'64, M'68, Hon '98
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Stanley Prusiner, M.D., a neurobiologist at the University
of California at San Francisco, was awarded the 1997 Nobel
Prize in Medicine for his groundbreaking discovery and definition
of a new class of disease-causing agents called prions. The
Nobel Prize, is the most prestigious award given for research
in medicine.
Dr. Prusiner's award is the culmination of 25 years of sometimes
controversial research on the prion, a natural human protein
that, under certain conditions, can interact with other prion
proteins, ultimately forming harmful deposits in the brain.
The American Health Assistance Foundation (AHAF) has awarded
more than $1.2 million in research grants through its Alzheimer's
Disease Research program to Dr. Prusiner to develop his prion
theory as a model for Alzheimer's disease. According to AHAF
President Eugene Michaels, "Dr. Prusiner has proven
that the most promising discoveries are often the result
of innovative scientific inquiry. We are honored to have
played a part in Dr. Prusiner's groundbreaking research."
There are similarities between the loss of brain function in prion diseases and in Alzheimer's disease, and an understanding of how prion diseases begin and develop will add to our understanding of what happens to the brain in Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Prusiner's research may one day lead to a treatment and a cure for Alzheimer's.