Tony Wyss-Coray is the D.H. Chen distinguished professor of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford University. His lab studies brain aging and neurodegeneration with a focus on age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. His research team discovered that circulatory blood factors can modulate brain structure and function and that factors from young organisms can rejuvenate old brains. These findings were voted a runner-up for the Breakthrough of the Year in 2014 by Science magazine and presented in talks at TEDGlobal, the World Economic Forum and Google Zeitgeist. His current studies focus on the molecular basis of systemic communication with the brain by employing a combination of genetic, cell biology and -omics approaches in killifish, mice and humans and through the development of bio-orthogonal tools for the in vivo labeling of proteins. Wyss-Coray is the co-founder of Alkahest, a company developing plasma-based therapies to counter age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s; he is also the recipient of the National Institutes of Health Director’s Pioneer Award, a Zenith Award from the Alzheimer’s Association, and a NOMIS Foundation Award. He holds multiple patents and was selected by Time magazine for its “Health Care 50” as one of the most influential people transforming health care in 2018.
Project:
Understanding How Blood-Borne Factors Improve the Function of the Aging Brain