Three Researchers Receive Lifetime Achievement Awards At Alzheimer's Association International Conference®

BOSTON, July 15, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Alzheimer's Association® recognized three leading scientists for their extraordinary contributions in advancing research at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference® (AAIC® 2013) in Boston, Massachusetts.

The honorees are:

• Eckhard Mandelkow, PhD, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany.
• Eva-Maria Mandelkow MD, PhD, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany.
• Laura Fratiglioni, MD, PhD, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

"These three leading scientists have each made significant and important contributions to the field of Alzheimer's and dementia research," said Maria Carrillo, Ph.D., Vice President of Medical and Scientific Relations at the Alzheimer's Association. "Through their vision, commitment, and guidance, the award recipients have expanded our understanding of this progressive and fatal disease and shaped the future directions of Alzheimer's research, diagnosis, and treatment."

The Alzheimer's Association is committed to accelerating the global effort to eliminate Alzheimer's disease and to recognizing the efforts of researchers who further our understanding about this devastating disease. The Association is the largest nonprofit funder of Alzheimer's research and has awarded more than $300 million to 2,100 best-of-field grant proposals.

2013 Lifetime Achievement Awards in Alzheimer's Disease Research

Khalid Iqbal, Ph.D. and Bengt Winblad, M.D., Ph.D., were two of the founders of this Alzheimer's research conference in 1988, with Henry Wisniewski M.D., Ph.D. These lifetime achievement awards are named in their honor and presented by the Alzheimer's Association to outstanding scientists who have dedicated their careers to helping millions of people around the world through their research.

At AAIC 2013, the Khalid Iqbal Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to the husband-and-wife team of Eckhard Mandelkow, Ph.D., andEva-Maria Mandelkow M.D., Ph.D., principal investigators at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn, Germany. Dr. Eckhard and Dr. Eva-Maria have achieved major breakthroughs in Alzheimer's research through their work on a protein termed tau. Dr. Eckhard's research currently focuses on structural molecular biology, image reconstruction in electron microscopy, cytoskeleton (microtubules, motor proteins), tau protein and protein kinases in Alzheimer disease and the development of tau aggregation inhibitors. Dr. Eva-Maria's current research interests include the cell biology of tau protein and its role in Alzheimer's disease, with emphasis on cell models, transgenic mouse models and development of therapeutic approaches. Dr. Eckhard andDr. Eva-Maria were both recipients of 2010 Metlife Awards and 2011 Potamkin Awards.

The 2013 Bengt Winblad Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Laura Fratiglioni, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Aging Research Center (ARC) at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Dr. Fratiglioni's scientific contributions focus on primary and secondary prevention of dementia, and, more recently, on multimorbidity and longevity among the oldest old adults. She is the principal investigator of The Swedish National Study on Aging and Care-Kungsholmen population study, the scientific coordinator of the Kungsholmen Project on Aging and Dementia and co-investigator of the project, "Harmony: a twin study on dementia."

About AAIC

The Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) is the world's largest conference of its kind, bringing together researchers from around the world to report and discuss groundbreaking research and information on the cause, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.  As a part of the Alzheimer's Association's research program, AAIC serves as a catalyst for generating new knowledge about dementia and fostering a vital, collegial research community.

About the Alzheimer's Association

The Alzheimer's Association is the world's leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's. Visit www.alz.org or call 800-272-3900.

SOURCE Alzheimer's Association