Present: Combating memory loss

Prof. Peter St. George-Hyslop was the first to discover key mutations in proteins involved in the early onset of Alzheimer’s disease and implicated in late onset of this disease.

By discovering two genes responsible for early-onset Alzheimer’s, St. George-Hyslop and his team made early diagnosis and treatment of the disease possible, often before brain damage occurs.

The team then used some of the knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of the disease, which they had discovered in their genetic research, to develop novel diagnostics and treatments.

St. George-Hyslop has won one of Europe’s top health awards for his pioneering work on the roots of neurodegenerative diseases, including the BIAL Merit Award in Medical Sciences.

Among his other honors and awards are the Francis A. McNaughton Prize from the Canadian Neurological Society; the Award for Medical Research from the Metropolitan Life Foundation and Distinguished Scientist in 2000; the Gold Medal in Medicine from the Royal College of Physicians of Canada in 1994; the Michael Smith Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in 1997; and the Oon International Award in Preventive Medicine from the University of Cambridge.

He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and in 2007 he was elected a foreign member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the Royal Society of London.