Bob Olsson, PhD, Wins 2014 Alzheimer Award

28 May 2014

Amsterdam, NL - The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease is are proud to announce that Bob Olsson, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden, has been chosen as the recipient of the 2014 Alzheimer Award presented by the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in recognition of his outstanding work on microglia markers and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

“I am very honored to have won this award, stated Dr. Olsson. “I would like to thank all my co-authors and the editors of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.”

Each year the more than 500 Associate Editors of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease vote to select an outstanding article published the previous year to receive this prestigious award, which is made possible by support from IOS Press. The winning paper is entitled “Microglial markers are elevated in the prodromal phase of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia” (J Alzheimers Dis 33, 45-53, 2013), by B. Olsson et al., and has been made freely available to readers.

The Importance of the Paper
Microglia has been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and in the paper Olsson et al. show that the microglial marker YKL-40 is increased in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from AD compared with healthy controls. Both YKL-40 and a second microglial marker called sCD14 were elevated in CSF from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients that progressed to vascular dementia. In addition, YKL-40 was elevated in CSF from MCI patients with a CSF profile indicative of AD, i.e., elevated levels of T-tau and decreased levels of Aβ42 compared with stable MCI patients with a normal profile. Thus, microglial activation is an early event in both AD and vascular dementia. Furthermore, both microglial markers were extremely stable in patients over a 6-month period, indicating that they can successfully be used in clinical trials aimed at lowering microglial activation.

The Lead Author
Bob Olsson, PhD, received his degree in Endocrinology from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden in 2001. After a 16-month postdoctoral fellowship in Obesity and Diabetes research and a second one in Hematology research for 21 months, both at the University of Gothenburg, Dr. Olsson got a four year Junior Research position from the Swedish Research council, followed by a Senior Research position from the University of Gothenburg. He is now tenured as an Assistant Professor and works with CSF markers for neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases together with Professors Kaj Blennow and Henrik Zetterberg studying CSF markers for neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases.

Dr. Olsson will be presented with the bronze Alzheimer Medal featuring the likeness of Alois Alzheimer, a certificate, and a $7,500 cash award.

Notes for Editors
Click here to see the previous Alzheimer Award winners.

Olsson B, Hertze J, Lautner R, Zetterberg H, Nägga K, Höglund K, Basun H, Annas P, Lannfelt L, Andreasen N, Minthon L, Blennow K, Hansson O (2013) Microglial markers are elevated in the prodromal phase of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. J Alzheimers Dis 33, 45-53.

About the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (JAD)
The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (http://www.j-alz.com) is an international multidisciplinary journal to facilitate progress in understanding the etiology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, genetics, behavior, treatment, and psychology of Alzheimer's disease. The journal publishes research reports, reviews, short communications, book reviews, and letters-to-the-editor. Groundbreaking research that has appeared in the journal includes novel therapeutic targets, mechanisms of disease, and clinical trial outcomes. The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease has an Impact Factor of 4.17 according to Thomson Reuters' 2012 Journal Citation Reports. It is ranked #22 on the Index Copernicus Top 100 Journals List. The Journal is published by IOS Press (www.iospress.com).

About IOS Press
Commencing its publishing activities in 1987, IOS Press (www.iospress.com) serves the information needs of scientific and medical communities worldwide. IOS Press now (co-)publishes over 100 international journals and about 100 book titles each year on subjects ranging from computer sciences and mathematics to medicine and the natural sciences.

IOS Press continues its rapid growth, embracing new technologies for the timely dissemination of information. All journals are available electronically and an e-book platform was launched in 2005.

Headquartered in Amsterdam with satellite offices in the USA, Germany, India, and China, IOS Press has established several strategic co-publishing initiatives. Notable acquisitions included Delft University Press in 2005 and Millpress Science Publishers in 2008.

Contacts:
George Perry, PhD Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Alzheimer's Disease University of Texas at San Antonio Tel: +1 210 458 4450 Fax:+1 210 458 4445 Email: george.perry@utsa.edu

Daphne Watrin IOS Press Tel: +31 20 688 3355 Fax: +31 20 687 0019 E-mail: d.watrin@iospress.nl