Bruce A. Yankner, M.D., Ph.D. is Professor of Genetics and Neurology at Harvard Medical School, Co-Director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging, Co-Chair of the Harvard Aging Initiative, and Director of the Harvard Neurodegeneration Training Program. Dr. Yankner graduated from Princeton University, received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Stanford University, and did a residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. His work has advanced our understanding of the aging brain and pathogenic mechanisms in Alzheimer’s disease, Down’s syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes, beginning with the discovery that amyloid proteins are toxic molecules. His laboratory was also the first to describe the transcriptome of the aging human brain, its evolution, and a role for DNA damage in gene regulation during aging.  More recently, his laboratory has identified stress resistance gene networks regulated by the transcription factor REST in aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and psychiatric disorders. He has received the Major Award for Medical Research from the Metropolitan Life Foundation, the Derek Denny-Brown Neurological Scholar Award from the American Neurological Association, the Irving S. Cooper Award from the Mayo Clinic, the Zenith Award from the Alzheimer’s Association, the Ellison Medical Foundation Senior Scholar Award, the Joseph A. Pignolo Award from the University of Pennsylvania, the Aging Mind Foundation Award, the Nathan W. Shock award from the National Institute on Aging, and the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award and Transformative Research Award.

For publications, see PubMed.ncbi.nih.gov