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Sanders-Brown Professors Honored for Alzheimer's Research
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 3, 2008) –Global animal health and nutrition company Alltech recently announced the latest recipients of its Lifetime Achievement and Scientific Medal of Excellence awards in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the study of Alzheimer’s disease. The awards were presented at the Alltech – University College Dublin – University of Kentucky Lecture Series’ inaugural lecture which was hosted in University College Dublin.
Dr. William R. Markesbery, director, UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of his outstanding career and his contributions leading to the elucidation of pathogenic mechanisms in Alzheimer’s disease, its early detection and prevention.
Dr. Charles D. Smith, Robert P. and Mildred Moore’s Professor in Alzheimer’s Research at the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, received the Scientific Medal of Excellence in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the field of presymptomatic Alzheimer’s disease neuroimaging.
“It is an honor for me to present these awards to Dr. Markesbery and Dr. Smith," said Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. "Their significant contributions to the study of Alzheimer’s disease have been instrumental in moving us closer to an understanding of this debilitating condition.”
Markesbery is recognized globally as a pre-eminent researcher of Alzheimer’s disease. His pioneering research discounted the once-popular theory that an accumulation of toxic metals such as aluminum play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Instead, Markesbery found that beta amyloid peptides promote neurodegeneration by inducing a free-oxygen radical process called lipid peroxidation in nerve cell membranes. The role of oxidative damage in neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s disease is now a widely-held theory.
Markesbery received his medical degree from the UK College of Medicine and is a member of its first graduating class. He completed his residency and fellowship at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Markesbery has served as director of the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging since it was established in 1979. He also is the Commonwealth Chair in Aging and a professor of neurology and pathology.
An electrical engineering graduate, Smith received his medical degree from Tulane University, New Orleans, and a post doctoral degree in magnetic resonance from UK. His research focuses on the application of structural and functional imaging techniques to the prediction, quantification and diagnosis of persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
Alltech is the sponsor of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010™ to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky.
For more information about the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, go to
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In striving to become a Top 20 public research institution, the University of Kentucky is a catalyst for a new Commonwealth – a Kentucky that is healthier, better educated, and positioned to compete in a global and changing economy. For more information about UK’s efforts to become a Top 20 university, please go to .
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