Leading Neuroscientist To Direct Appel Institute For Alzheimer's Research At Weill Cornell Medical College

Distinguished neuroscientist and Alzheimer's researcher Dr. Steven Marc Paul will lead the new Helen & Robert Appel Institute for Alzheimer's Research at Weill Cornell Medical College.


Dr. Paul will join Weill Cornell faculty in September, with appointments in the Departments of Neurology & Neuroscience and Psychiatry. Previously, he has held senior research positions at Eli Lilly and Company and the National Institute of Mental Health.


"An enormously talented scientist and administrator, Dr. Steven Paul is uniquely qualified to lead the Appel Institute for Alzheimer's Research and propel efforts to develop new treatments for the prevention and management, and eventually defeat, of this devastating disease," says Dr. Antonio M. Gotto Jr., the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College. "We are very grateful to Helen and Bob Appel for their steadfast commitment to Alzheimer's patients and their families, and to making Weill Cornell a leading center for research into Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative disorders."


"Dr. Paul will contribute importantly to our neurodegenerative research program as he did at Eli Lilly, where he headed up research for many years," says Dr. David P. Hajjar, dean of Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences and executive vice provost, senior executive vice dean, and the Frank H.T. Rhodes Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Biology and Genetics and professor of biochemistry and pathology at Weill Cornell Medical College.


The Appel Institute is funded through a $15 million gift from Helen and Robert Appel. Located inside Weill Cornell's new Medical Research Building, which began construction in May, the Institute will be the locus and catalyst for Alzheimer's research by current Weill Cornell faculty and future recruits in neurology, neurogenetics, biochemistry, cell biology, microbiology, pharmacology and psychiatry.


"Helen and I are personally familiar with the devastating effect this disease has on individuals and their families. We are confident that this intense research effort led by Dr. Paul will result in better ways of preventing, treating, and one day eradicating Alzheimer's," says Robert Appel, a member of the Board of Overseers of Weill Cornell Medical College and chair of the Medical College's Discoveries that Make a Difference Capital Campaign.


Dr. Paul's own research has helped shed light on genetic factors that dramatically increase risk for Alzheimer's and actually cause the brain abnormalities (plaques and tangles) that lead to the loss of neurons and the symptoms of the disease. "Much like heart disease, Alzheimer's develops over time, affecting the brain as much as 10 years before any symptoms of cognitive impairment are evident. My research is focused on ways to catch Alzheimer's early and stop it in its tracks," he says. "While at Lilly, my research team discovered a novel potential new treatment for Alzheimer's disease (an antibody called solanezumab) which we believe clears amyloid plaques from the brain and which is now in the final phase of clinical testing. I want to thank Helen and Robert Appel for their generous philanthropic support for fundamental research, both at the bench and at the bedside, which will undoubtedly contribute to the effective treatment and ultimately prevention of this devastating disease. I also look forward to working closely with the world-class group of neuroscientists at Weill Cornell as we pursue many promising avenues for research on neurodegenerative disorders."















Dr. Paul was a key player in a unique research collaboration called the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative that recently reported breakthrough findings on biological markers for progression of Alzheimer's disease. As a member of the board of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, he helped secure funding for the project and leveraged his connections in the NIH and in the pharmaceutical industry to help ensure its success.


In recent years, Alzheimer's researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have contributed to several important advances. In the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, led by Dr. Matthew E. Fink, interim chair of Neurology and Neuroscience and neurologist-in-chief at Weill Cornell, faculty have helped show that human biomarkers and PET and MRI imaging can identify persons at risk for Alzheimer's. This is a vital step toward the development of preventive treatments. In the Department of Psychiatry, led by Dr. Jack Barchas, the Barklie McKee Henry Professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell, faculty are looking at basic mechanisms of the brain such as brain growth factors and neuronal migration that may provide the groundwork for future Alzheimer's advances.


Source: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital