CURE ALZHEIMER'S FUND PRESENTS THE 2026 JEFFREY L. MORBY PRIZE FOR EXCEPTIONAL RESEARCH

Prize Recognizes Drs. Randall J. Bateman and Kanta Horie of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and Drs. Oskar Hansson and Gemma Salvadó of Lund University, Sweden

WELLESLEY, Mass., May 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Cure Alzheimer's Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to funding the most promising research to prevent, slow, or reverse Alzheimer's disease (AD), has announced the recipients of the third annual Jeffrey L. Morby Prize.

Senior co-author Randall J. Bateman, M.D., and first co-author Kanta Horie, Ph.D. (both of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis), along with senior co-author Oskar Hansson, M.D., Ph.D., and first co-author Gemma Salvadó, Ph.D. (both of Lund University, Sweden),  were selected by their peers for their paper "Plasma MTBR-tau243 biomarker identifies tau tangle pathology in Alzheimer's disease," published in Nature Medicine in March 2025.

Established in 2024, the Morby Prize is awarded annually to the senior and first authors of a recent scientific publication that transforms the fundamental understanding of Alzheimer's disease and opens new paths to translate scientific results into effective ways to prevent, diagnose, or treat the disease. The Morby Prize is named in honor of the late Co-Founder of Cure Alzheimer's Fund, Jeffrey L. Morby, who inspired the nonprofit's mission 22 years ago to fund research as a path to ending Alzheimer's disease. Mr. Morby passed away in September 2023.

"Jeff had a tremendous respect for scientists, and he shared their dedication and determination to cure Alzheimer's disease," said Meg Smith, CEO of Cure Alzheimer's Fund. "He recognized that we can help patients only if we first empower scientists to pursue vital research into this challenging disease. Honoring researchers for work their peers recognize as breakthrough is a fitting tribute to Jeff's remarkable legacy."

The award-winning paper addresses a significant need in the detection and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease—a blood test that accurately reflects tau tangle pathology in the brain. The publication characterizes plasma eMTBR-tau243 as the first reliable blood-based biomarker for Alzheimer's disease tau tangles, positioning it as a key tool for the diagnosis and staging of Alzheimer's disease in years to come.

Data suggest that anti-amyloid immunotherapies are most effective in patients with low tau tangle loads, but PET imaging to measure tau pathology is expensive and rarely available in clinical practice. "An accessible tau tangle blood test is a pivotal step toward precision medicine in Alzheimer's disease—ensuring today's therapies reach the patients who will benefit most and laying the groundwork for tau-targeted treatments to come," added Meg Smith.

"The Morby Prize recognizing our collaborative effort to bring tau tangles blood biomarkers to researchers, doctors, and patients acknowledges the incredible impact and promise that being able to detect and measure Alzheimer's pathology in the brain has for our field," said Dr. Bateman, the Charles F. and Joanne Knight Distinguished Professor of Neurology at WashU Medicine. "This advanced test is already being used in clinical trials and research studies, and, in the future, in the clinic to benefit our patients and families in having secure knowledge of Alzheimer's and treatment options."

About Cure Alzheimer's Fund

Cure Alzheimer's Fund (CureAlz) is a nonprofit dedicated to funding the most promising research to prevent, slow or reverse Alzheimer's disease. Since its founding in 2004, CureAlz has provided more than $270 million to more than 400 of the world's leading researchers and has achieved a 100% perfect score and a Four-Star rating for 14 consecutive years from Charity Navigator. Our Board of Directors, Trustees, and a core group of other donors direct their donations to our overhead expenses so that 100% of general donations go to our research program. For more information, visit curealz.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Lisa Rand
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781-943-3640

SOURCE Alzheimer's Disease Research Foundation