Professor John Hardy, UCL Institute of Neurology, will be awarded this year’s “Hartwig Piepenbrock-DZNE Prize” honouring his seminal contributions to the study of Alzheimer’s disease.
The award ceremony will take place on World Alzheimer's Day, September 21, 2015, in Bonn, Germany.
Professor Hardy has made ground-breaking findings on the molecular causes of this brain disorder. His discoveries provide the basis for therapeutic approaches and potential medicines.
John Hardy is a pioneer. To him we owe groundbreaking insights into the genetic causes of Alzheimer's disease and the role of certain proteins for its pathogenesis. Hardy has been involved for more than 25 years in the investigation of Alzheimer's and shapes this area of research to date. Worldwide, he is one of the most cited Alzheimer's researchers by scientific journals. Professor Pierluigi Nicotera, Chairman of the DZNE's Executive Board
Arnulf and Olaf Piepenbrock, both Chief Executive Officers and
Chairmen of Piepenbrock Group, see in the disease not only a challenge
for science but also for society.
In Germany, about 1.5 Million people have dementia. Many of them are affected by Alzheimer's. We require new approaches in order to help patients and their relatives. Groundbreaking research for possible therapies is the best way to achieve this. With the award we aim at honoring outstanding accomplishments in this field. Olaf Piepenbrock, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Piepenbrock Group
Every two years the "Hartwig Piepenbrock-DZNE Prize" honors outstanding contributions to the study of neurodegenerative diseases. These diseases, which include Alzheimer's, are characterized by neuronal dysfunctions and the death of nerve cells. The prize is endowed by the Piepenbrock Group. The winner is chosen by an international committee under the coordination of the DZNE.
This year, the prize will be awarded for the third time. In 2013 it went jointly to the Swiss Adriano Aguzzi and the US-American Charles Weissmann, in 2011 the awardee was the German molecular biologist Konrad Beyreuther.
The Hartwig Piepenbrock-DZNE Prize is awarded in remembrance of the Group's former Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the same name. Hartwig Piepenbrock himself passed away after suffering from dementia. He had been committed to art, science and society for many years.
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