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Rudolph Tanzi, M.D.
Dr. Tanzi received his B.S. (microbiology) and B.A. (history) at the University of Rochester in 1980 and his Ph.D. (neurobiology) at Harvard Medical School in 1990. In his research achievements, Dr. Tanzi served on the team that was the first to find a disease gene (Huntington’s disease) using human genetic markers, helping to launch the field of neurogenetics. Dr. Tanzi then went on to co-discovered all three early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease genes. He has identified several other AD genes as leader of the Alzheimer’s Genome Project supported by the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund. Dr. Tanzi also discovered the Wilson’s disease gene and several other neurological disease genes.
More recently, Dr. Tanzi and his team used Alzheimer’s genes and human stem cells to create “Alzheimer’s-in-a-Dish” - a three-dimensional human stem cell-derived neural culture system that was the first to recapitulate both pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease: plaques and tangles. This model has made drug screening for Alzheimer’s disease considerably faster and more effective. Using this system, Dr. Tanzi has developed several novel therapies for AD including gamma secretase modulators aimed at plaque pathology.
Most recently, Dr. Tanzi and his team have discovered that beta-amyloid, the main component of senile plaques, may play a role in the innate immune system of the brain operating as an anti-microbial peptide, suggesting a possible role for infection in the etiology and pathogenesis of AD.
Dr. Tanzi has published over 500 research papers and has received the highest awards in his field, including the Metropolitan Life Foundation Award, Potamkin Prize, Ronald Reagan Award, Silver Innovator Award, and the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award, the top national award for invention and innovation. He serves on dozens of editorial boards and scientific advisory boards and was named to TIME magazine’s list of TIME100 Most Influential People in the World. He also co-authored the books Decoding Darkness, (and with Dr. Deepak Chopra), the international bestsellers, Super Brain and Super Genes, and most recently, The Healing Self.
Articles
Dispelling Five Myths About Your Brain
How many of us grew up believing that the brain we are born with is the brain we get for the rest of our lives? How many of us still believe that the brain consists of a set number of nerve cells that …
Rudolph Tanzi, M.D.
You Can Transform Your Own Biology
To date, one of biology’s greatest achievements, mapping the human genome, is only just beginning to translate into medical advances. But in 2014 there will likely be more headlines about another type …
Rudolph Tanzi, M.D.
How to Be Your Own Medical Advocate
When the average person goes to the doctor, shows up at the ER, or enters the hospital, the possibility of controlling what happens next is minimal. We put ourselves in the hands of the medical machin …
Rudolph Tanzi, M.D.
The Do's and Don'ts of an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Inflammation has always been a medical mystery, but now it has become an enemy of long-term health. On the one hand, when your skin turns red, swollen, and painful after you burn yourself, which trigg …
Rudolph Tanzi, M.D.
A Better Answer to Chronic Stress
If an epidemic is defined as a disease that affects whole populations without having a medical cure, then the epidemic of modern life is stress.Stress itself is not a disease, but it instead leads to …
Rudolph Tanzi, M.D.
The Virus Can Give Your Life More Meaning
Originally published by SF Gate. One way to respond in a crisis is to reduce its threat. The other way is to add to the threat. The coronavirus COVID-19 might be the first collective crisis that many …
Rudolph Tanzi, M.D.
What Is the Best Self-Care during the COVID-19 Crisis?
Originally published by SF Gate.Self-care should be uppermost in our minds during the COVID-19 crisis, for several urgent reasons. Self-care returns a sense of control over your own life. It gives you …
Rudolph Tanzi, M.D.