Author Archives: Andy Lin

Alan F. Schatzberg: 2012/13 Anna-Monika Prize recipient

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Nov 27, 2013

The Anna-Monika Prize is awarded bi-annually to clinical scientists who have made major contributions to the understanding of the underlining neurobiological mechanisms of depression and who have advanced the pharmacological options for affective disorders. In 2013, the Anna-Monika-Foundation was again privileged to honor a leading researcher for his groundbreaking work in the field.

This year’s Anna-Monika award winner is Prof. Alan F. Schatzberg, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, USA.

Prof. Schatzberg received the prize for his outstanding research into new therapy approaches, especially for the treatment of delusional depression. He is one of the leading North American clinical and scientific psychiatrists. In his research work, he focuses on the interactions between the stress hormone (cortisol) system and dopamine metabolism, both on a basic science basis and in clinical studies. A special merit of Prof. Schatzberg’s work is the early recognition of the significance of antiglucocorticoid therapies, for example with mifepristone (RU486), and their possible introduction into psychiatric practice. This research approach implemented by Prof. Schatzberg and his group was adopted by a number of companies and is undergoing Phase III clinical trials. In addition, Prof. Schatzberg has supported the use of antiglucocorticoid therapeutic methods by systematic neurobiological research, including neuroendocrine studies, genetics, brain imaging as well as studies of cognition and its relationship to cortisol activity. Prof. Schatzberg’s work has contributed both to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of severe depression disorders and to the development of novel treatment approaches.

Anna-Monika Foundation »

Finding the roots of mood disorders: Dr. Jun Li

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There is more to mood disorders, such as bipolar disorder and major depression, than meets the clinician’s eye. Fortunately, scientists such as Jun Li, Ph.D. are probing the genetic underpinnings of such diseases in pursuit of knowledge on which to build better therapies. Dr. Li, an Assistant Professor of Human Genetics at University of Michigan and a Rising Star Awardee in 2011, has just discovered 3 new candidate genes for bipolar disorder, and found a gene expression pattern underlying the disrupted sleep cycles of persons with mood disorders.

Watch the interview at IMHRO »

2013 Award for Distinguished Research in the Biomedical Sciences

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Huda Akil, Ph.D., University of Michigan

August 15, 2013

“When I was growing up in Damascus, the notion that a little Syrian girl could become a scientist seemed like an impossible dream,” she wrote in a commentary for the Washington Times. But the little girl with the big dream is now internationally renowned Huda Akil, Ph.D., Gardner C. Quarton Professor of Neurosciences in Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School and co-director and senior research professor at the university’s Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute.

A pioneer of what is now called systems neuroscience, Dr. Akil has made seminal contributions to the understanding of the neurobiology of emotions and the interplay between pain, anxiety, depression, stress, and substance abuse. “Dr. Huda Akil’s scientific work has transformed our understanding of the molecular, anatomical, and behavioral mechanisms of emotionality,” said James O. Woolliscroft, M.D., dean and Lyle C. Roll Professor of Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Read the announcement at AAMC »

Nature: Neuroscience: Method man

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Karl Deisseroth is leaving his mark on brain science one technique at a time

May 29, 2013

When Karl Deisseroth moved into his first lab in 2004, he found himself replacing a high-profile tenant: Nobel-prizewinning physicist Steven Chu. “His name was still on the door when I moved in,” says Deisseroth, a neuroscientist, of the basement space at Stanford University in California. The legacy has had its benefits. When chemistry student Feng Zhang dropped by looking for Chu, Deisseroth convinced him to stick around. “I don’t think he knew who I was. But he got interested enough.”

Deisseroth is now a major name in science himself. He is associated with two blockbuster techniques that allow researchers to show how intricate circuits in the brain create patterns of behaviour. The development of the methods, he says, came from a desire to understand mechanisms that give rise to psychiatric disease — and from the paucity of techniques to do so. “It was extremely clear that for fundamental advances in these domains I would have to spend time developing new tools,” says Deisseroth.

Read the full article at Nature

The Science Network: Interview with Karl Deisseroth

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May 25, 2013

Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist at Stanford University. His previous research included studies on the cellular and molecular underpinnings of brain physiology, and in particular, the biochemical networks which function during electrical activity in neurons to mediate memory storage. His current research is targeted toward understanding of higher-level cognitive function, including the mechanism of generation of subjective sensation from neuronal activity. His lab’s research goals include adapting molecular and cellular techniques to study the assembly and behavior of intact neuronal systems, using neural stem cells and novel tissue engineering techniques.

Watch the interview on The Science Network »