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David M. Holtzman

URL: http://mednews.wustl.edu/sb/page/normal/178.html

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Gila Reckess
Senior Medical Sciences Writer
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(314) 286-0109

Head of the Department of Neurology

Expertise: Alzheimer's disease, dementia, neurology, molecular biology, monoclonal antibodies, amyloid plaques, perinatal stroke

Bio:
Holtzman
Holtzman
Holtzman is known as one of the leading experts in researching the underlying mechanisms that lead to Alzheimer's disease in an effort to improve diagnosis and treatment. In addition to seeing patients at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and the Memory Diagnostic Center, Holtzman leads a research team working with animal models of Alzheimer's. The group has been instrumental in showing how dangerous amounts of a protein called amyloid-beta (Abeta) begin to accumulate in the brain many years before symptoms arise. These basic science investigations have evolved over the years and are beginning to bridge the gap into the clinical arena.

Education:


News Stories & Tip Sheets:

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Tracking biomarkers

Washington University in St. Louis and AstraZeneca announce Alzheimer's research collaboration (http://mednews.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/11579.html)

April 17, 2008 -- The School of Medicine and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) have announced a research collaboration that aims to develop new and improved ways to diagnose and treat Alzheimer's disease. The major focus of the alliance will be biomarkers, characteristic changes in the brain and spinal fluid that physicians can use to diagnose Alzheimer's disease and track its response to treatment.


Reducing plaque

Altering brain's lipid metabolism reduces Alzheimer's plaques in mice (http://mednews.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/10843.html)

Jan. 17, 2008 -- Increasing levels of a protein that helps the brain use cholesterol may slow the development of Alzheimer's disease changes in the brain, according to researchers studying a mouse model of the disease at the School of Medicine.


Opening a new door to treatment

Blocking stress protein decreases Alzheimer's peptide in mice (http://mednews.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/9576.html)

June 4, 2007 -- Scientists revealed in November 2006 that stress increases production in mice of a brain peptide critical to Alzheimer's disease. Now the same group has shown that blocking a different brain peptide slows the stress-induced increase, opening a new door to treatment. Researchers from the School of Medicine report the results online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.


Recognizing research

Holtzman given MetLife Award for Alzheimer's research (http://mednews.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/8886.html)

Feb. 23, 2007 --
Holtzman
Holtzman
David Holtzman, the Andrew B. and Gretchen P. Jones Professor and head of Neurology, is co-recipient of the MetLife Foundation Award for Medical Research in Alzheimer's Disease. Holtzman is also associate director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) and a member of the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders at the School of Medicine.


Leaders in their field

Scientific American honors three WUSTL neuroscientists (http://mednews.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/8258.html)

Nov. 14, 2006 -- Three Alzheimer's disease researchers at the School of Medicine in have been named to the 2006 Scientific American 50, an honorary list of the year's "prime movers" in a variety of scientific disciplines.



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Clips:

Showing 3 Clips.
Funding for Alzheimer's research is key, scientists say
Kansas City Star and 17 others

July 5, 2006 -- Scientists who study Alzheimer's disease say they are on the brink of finding treatments to slow or stop it.
A few weeks ago, Congress voted to reduce funding for research on Alzheimer's disease.
WUSTL scientists commenting are neurology professor Anne Fagan Niven, neurology professor and chair David Holtzman, and Tom Meuser, director of education and rural outreach at WUSTL's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.


WUSTL research suggests Alzheimer's may be partially reversible
Toronto Star (Canada), St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Associated Press Online and 147 others

Jan. 21, 2005 -- WUSTL researchers said that brain cells in mice recovered rapidly after brain plaques characteristic of Alzheimer's disease were removed, offering hope that plaque-clearing treatments could benefit patients with the disease. WUSTL neurologist and senior author of the study Dave Holtzman and researcher Robert Brendza comment.


Two proteins may help prevent Alzheimer’s brain plaques
Innovations-Report (Germany) and 31 others

April 26, 2004 -- Two proteins appear to work together in mice to prevent the formation of the brain plaques that are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at the School of Medicine report that the proteins clusterin and apolipoprotein E seem to orchestrate the removal of potentially hazardous molecules from the brain. "This is one of the first demonstrations in living animals that shows these proteins affect amyloid clearance," said David Holtzman, the Paul Hagemann Professor of Neurology at the School of Medicine. "Our findings suggest it is worthwhile to explore the use of drugs or therapies to alter or perhaps increase the expression of these proteins as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease."



Additional Background: Holtzman's research focuses on the underlying mechanisms of cell death and dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease and in perinatal stroke (strokes that occur just before, during or immediately after birth). His research has helped explain how plaques form in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. That process appears to begin decades before symptoms develop. Holtzman currently is examining the role of a monoclonal antibody called m266 in degrading these plaques, and he has found that the antibody has potential for use as a blood test for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and as a therapeutic target for treatment. His research on perinatal stroke also has revealed novel therapeutic targets, and Holtzman now is exploring the use of drugs such as minocycline for limiting or preventing damage from perinatal stroke.
Related Information


Related Links:
•Holtzman's Web page (http://www.neuro.wustl.edu/people/holtzman.html)

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