Curious Minds Presents: 

Presentation and Discussion with Dr. Ken Kosik

The Decades Long Struggle to Beat Alzheimer's:

What's Taking So Long?

What causes Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias? What are the molecular mechanisms underlying their destructive actions? Can we identify novel targets or strategies for possible therapeutic intervention? These are core questions being pursued by neuroscientist Kenneth Kosik, M.D. and his team at UCSB’s Neuroscience Research Institute (NRI). Dr. Kosik is pursuing a novel approach to discover the mechanisms underlying the development of Alzheimer’s. A key focus is to investigate the genetic origins of Alzheimer’s that can guide research on ways to disrupt the formation of tau and the sticky plaques that are hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. UCSB scientists have long theorized that the tau protein could be a culprit in the disease, and tau is now increasingly the focus of investigation for the entire field of Alzheimer’s research. Since 2010, UCSB has been part of the Tau Consortium, collaborating with a global network of clinicians and scientists to tackle this devastating disease. Join us for an in-depth look into Dr. Kosik’s research and why he believes UCSB researchers now stand on the cusp of some very significant discoveries. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Kenneth Kosik is the Harriman Professor of Neuroscience Research and co-director of the Neuroscience Research Institute at UC Santa Barbara. He has garnered awards from MIT, Harvard Medical School, the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Association of Neuropathologists, NASA and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has co-authored two books and his work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the New Yorker, as well as on BBC and CNN, in the NOVA documentary “Can Alzheimer’s Be Stopped?” and on “60 Minutes.” He completed his M.D. at the Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1976. His prestigious career includes 24 years at Harvard Medical School and appointments at Tufts New England Medical Center, McLean Hospital, Brigham and Women’s.

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