New York, NY, Feb. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation has expanded its partnership with The Rockefeller University by donating an additional $5 million for a professorship named for its founders, Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher. The Zachary and Elizabeth M. Fisher Professorship in Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Disease will align with the foundation’s mission to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

This new professorship will be held by Dr. Sidney Strickland, who was appointed to the Fisher Center’s Neuroscience Advisory Committee in 2019 after the passing of Nobel Laureate Paul Greengard. Dr. Greengard was the lead scientist of the Fisher Center at Rockefeller University from its inception in 1994.

Dr. Strickland joined The Rockefeller University as dean and vice president for educational affairs in 2000. A scientist, research mentor, and academic leader, he also heads the University’s Patricia and John Rosenwald Laboratory of Neurobiology and Genetics, where he and his colleagues study the molecular mechanisms of nerve cell death and regeneration, with a special focus on Alzheimer’s disease.

Barry R. Sloane, chairman of the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation said, “We are proud of our longstanding support of Rockefeller University and its pioneering research on Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative disease.  Many of Rockefeller’s twenty-six Nobel Prizes have been in the field of brain science, and neuroscience continues to be a growing field at the university.  Dr. Sidney Strickland’s research has broken new ground and adds new strength to the research programs underway at the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research at Rockefeller.”

“Private support enables our scientists to conduct the type of audacious research that leads to breakthroughs,” said Rockefeller University President Richard P. Lifton. “The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation has been an extraordinary partner in helping us to build one of the premier neurodegenerative research programs in the world.  The named professorship for Sidney Strickland will help to advance our understanding of and treatment for many debilitating diseases.  We are honored by their commitment to the university and to the advancement of science.” 

ABOUT THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY

The Rockefeller University is one of the world’s leading biomedical research universities and is dedicated to conducting innovative, high-quality research to improve the understanding of life for the benefit of humanity. Rockefeller’s 75 laboratories conduct research in neuroscience, immunology, biochemistry, genomics, and many other areas, and a community of over 2,000 faculty, students, postdocs, technicians, clinicians, and administrative personnel work on the university’s 16-acre Manhattan campus. Rockefeller’s unique approach to science has led to some of the world’s most revolutionary and transformative contributions to biology and medicine. During Rockefeller’s 119-year history, 26 Rockefeller scientists have won Nobel Prizes, 24 have won Albert Lasker Medical Research Awards and 20 have garnered the National Medal of Science, the highest science award given by the United States. 

ABOUT THE FISHER CENTER FOR ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCH FOUNDATION 

The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation is an organization that provides millions of dollars for novel Alzheimer’s research. This research is primarily conducted by a team of over 40 internationally renowned scientists under Dr. Marc Flajolet, Research Associate Professor, interim head of the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research Lab at The Rockefeller University, plus other leading research institutes around the world.

The Fisher Center lab at The Rockefeller University is one of the largest and most modern scientific facilities in the world dedicated to solving the puzzle of Alzheimer’s disease.

Our mission is to understand the causes of Alzheimer’s disease, improve the care of people living with it, and find a cure.

Our vision is to work towards a future where Alzheimer’s is nothing but a memory.

For more information about the Fisher Center, including how to financially support breakthrough research, please visit www.alzinfo.org.

Lucretia Holden, SHRM-CP
Executive Director
212-915-1328
lholden@alzinfo.org