Dr. Charles DeCarli's research has led to new brain imaging techniques and a new way of looking at Alzheimer's disease, and now it's earned him the 2010 J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine from The University of Western Ontario's Robarts Research Institute. "Imaging of the aging brain" is this year's Taylor Prize topic.
Dr. DeCarli is a Professor of Neurology at the University of California at Davis, as well as the Associate Director of the Alzheimer's Disease Center and Co-Director of the Imaging of Dementia and Aging Laboratory.
"Dr. DeCarli is an international leader in neuroimaging. He developed the first software that allowed accurate volumetric measurement of the brain. So for example, we can measure the size of the hippocampus, the major memory area of the brain," says Ravi Menon, Associate Director of Robarts and Chair of the selection committee. "But this award also recognizes his research which revealed a vascular component to Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. This is exciting because we know the risk factors for vascular diseases and many can be managed through lifestyle changes and medication. If it holds true for Alzheimer's disease, we could start treating those at risk a lot earlier. In fact, many forms of dementia could become preventable."
The 2009 World Alzheimer Report found there are more than 35 million people in the world living with Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia. It also expects the number to nearly double in the next 20 years.
Since 1985, Robarts Research Institute has awarded the J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine to some of the world's leading researchers across a range of scientific disciplines in biology, medicine and imaging. The recipient of the prize receives $10,000 and a classical medallion bearing the likeness of J. Allyn Taylor. The award is generously supported by the Stiller Foundation in recognition of the significant role J. Allyn Taylor - founding Chair of the Board at Robarts - played in the lives of Stiller family members as well as his personal and professional commitment to integrity, dedication and distinction.
The award will be presented during a dinner at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn & Conference Centre in London on Wednesday, November 3, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. The event will be hosted by CTV Medical Correspondent Avis Favaro and will feature keynote speaker Bob McDonald of the CBC's Quirks and Quarks. For ticket information, call 519-661-2111 ext 88960 or go to www.westernconnect.ca/robarts_dinner
Dr. DeCarli and other leaders in neurodegenerative diseases, including Adrian Owen of the University of Cambridge who has been recruited to Western's Centre for Brain and Mind, will speak at the Taylor Prize Symposium which runs from 10:00 to 4:00 on November 3, in Auditorium A of University Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre.