Biology of Prion Diseases

Adriano Aguzzi

Adriano Aguzzi, M.D., Ph.D., is professor and director of the Institute of Neuropathology at the University of Zurich. His research career has focused entirely on prions, exploring how they damage brain cells, why they accumulate in lymphoid organs, and how they reach the brain after entering the body from peripheral sites. Dr. Aguzzi has been Associate Dean for research at the University of Zurich Medical School, and president of the Swiss Society of Neuropathology. He is the Founder and Director of the Swiss National Reference Center for Prion Diseases, and is on the Board of Governors of the Swiss Federal School of Technology. Dr. Aguzzi has developed and patented several diagnostic and therapeutic methods in the field transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. He is an adviser to the British, Italian, and Swiss government on spongiform encephalopathies. He sits on the editorial boards of numerous journals and on the scientific advisory board of various philanthropic foundations and biomedical companies. Among other honors, Dr. Aguzzi has won 2009 the Antonio-Feltrinelli Prize in Rome, as well as the medal of the European molecular biology organization.