Boston--Research that leads to improved therapies for Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients is one goal of Boston University School of Medicine professor of pharmacology and neurology Benjamin Wolozin, MD, PhD. He was one of six researchers awarded a two-year, $500,000 award in Alzheimer's Disease Drug Discovery Research by the Edward N. & Della L. Thome Memorial Foundation.
Wolozin has been studying the pathophysiology of AD, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease (PD) for nearly 20 years and has made numerous contributions to the current field of understanding of neurodegenerative diseases. He has published more than 150 papers and book chapters on the topic in such high impact journals as Science, Nature and PNAS. He also holds four patents in the AD and PD fields and is the co-founder of the biotechnology company Aquinnah Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
The Edward N. & Della L. Thome Memorial Foundation was created in 2002 with the mission of advancing the health of older adults through support of direct service projects and medical research on disease and disorders affecting them. Each year they award $500,000 to a faculty member at a non-profit academic, medical, non-governmental or research institution in the United States with the purpose of furthering this objective.
The Edward N. & Della L. Thome Memorial Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee, Awards Program in Alzheimer's Disease Drug Discovery Research is administered by The Medical Foundation, a division of Health Resources in Action (HRiA). HRiA is a nonprofit organization in Boston that advances public health and medical research.
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About BUSM
Originally established in 1848 as the New England Female Medical College, and incorporated into Boston University in 1873, Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) today is a leading academic medical center with an enrollment of more than 700 medical students and 950 students pursuing degrees in graduate medical sciences. BUSM faculty contribute to more than 668 active grants and contracts, with total anticipated awards valued at more than $693 million in amyloidosis, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cancer, infectious diseases, pulmonary disease and dermatology, among other areas. The School's teaching affiliates include Boston Medical Center, its primary teaching hospital, the Boston VA Healthcare System, Kaiser Permanente in northern California, as well as Boston HealthNet, a network of 15 community health centers. For more information, please visit http://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm/