David M. Holtzman, MD
Barbara Burton and Reuben M. Morriss III Distinguished Professor
Scientific Director, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders
Dept. of Neurology
Washington University School of Medicine
David Holtzman, MD, received his BS (1983) and MD (1985) from Northwestern University followed by a Neurology residency at UCSF from 1985-1989. He did post-doctoral research at UCSF from 1989-1994. There, in addition to his research, he founded a Memory Disorders clinic. He moved to Washington University in 1994 as an assistant professor to both start his own lab as well as to get involved in clinical activities and teaching. He is currently professor of Neurology, scientific director of the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders and associate director of the Knight ADRC. He was the Chair of the Department of Neurology at Washington University from 2003-2021. Some of his and his lab’s accomplishments include showing, in part, how apoE4 contributes to AD, development of a method to measure protein synthesis and clearance in the CNS of animals and humans, development of CSF biomarkers for AD, demonstration of how synaptic/neuronal activity and sleep affect amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau levels dynamically in vivo acutely and chronically, determined that apoE and TREM2 contribute to the brain’s innate immune response that influences amyloid-induced tau seeding and spreading, as well as tau-mediated neurodegeneration, and development of an anti-Aβ antibody now in three Phase III trials for AD and an anti-apoE antibody that has therapeutic potential. Holtzman co-founded the company C2N Diagnostics in 2007 with colleague Randall Bateman, MD and Life Tech Research. He has received a number of honors including being a recipient of a Paul Beeson Physician Faculty Scholar award in Aging research, the Potamkin prize from the American Academy of Neurology for research on Alzheimer’s disease, the MetLife award for Alzheimer’s disease research, a MERIT award from the NIA, election to the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, election to the National Academy of Inventors, an alumni merit award from the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, being appointed to the National Advisory council of the NINDS and NIA, the Chancellor’s award for innovation and entrepreneurship and the Carl and Gerty Cori award from Washington University, being elected Fellow of the AAAS, being the past president of the American Neurological Association, and being the 2021 recipient of the Rainwater Prize for Outstanding Innovation in Neurodegenerative Research. Holtzman has trained over 70 graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and physician-scientists, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in academia and industry.