Generales

By Johansson Cruz Lopera, Journalist

Francisco Lopera Restrepo, a professor, researcher, and coordinator of the Neurosciences Group of Antioquia (GNA) at UdeA, received the Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick’s, Alzheimer’s, and Related Diseases on April 14, 2024, in the United States. The American Academy of Neurology and the American Brain Foundation awarded this prestigious recognition. Lopera is the first Latin American to receive this recognition, considered the most prestigious and esteemed award in neurodegenerative field disease research.

Francisco Lopera Restrepo has dedicated more than half his life to researching the causes and possible cures for Alzheimer’s through the GNA. This neurodegenerative disease affects over 40 million people worldwide. Photo: UdeA Communications Office / María Camila Monsalve.

“This recognition is the highest distinction we have received in 40 years of research,” said Francisco Lopera Restrepo, a professor and coordinator of the Neurosciences Group of Antioquia (GNA) at the Universidad de Antioquia. He made this statement upon receiving the 2024 Potamkin Award from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Denver, United States.

Although this recognition, considered on par with a Nobel Prize for Alzheimer’s research, is awarded to one person, Lopera emphasized that his gratitude must extend to the dozens of students, researchers, residents, health professionals, and patients who are part of the GNA, the research group affiliated with the School of Medicine. “For us, it is an honor and a source of pride, as well as for the Universidad de Antioquia,” he said, knowing that the award results from collective effort.

Francisco Lopera is the first researcher in Latin America to receive this award. It is given annually to a scientific researcher who performs innovative work, makes relevant discoveries, and promotes the field of study in degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Pick’s disease.

The Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick’s, Alzheimer’s, and Related Diseases was created in honor of Luba Potamkin, wife of American businessman Victor Potamkin, who was diagnosed with Pick’s disease in 1978. Pick’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects the brain areas controlling personality, behavior, and language. The American Academy of Neurology and the American Brain Foundation present this award.

“The work led by Dr. Lopera with Colombian families with Alzheimer’s disease for almost 40 years has significantly contributed to the world’s knowledge about this disease and other neurodegenerative diseases,” noted Yakeel T. Quiroz, professor at Harvard Medical School and director of the Familial Dementia Neuroimaging Laboratory and the Multicultural Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. Quiroz nominated the UdeA researcher for the award.

Quiroz, a psychology graduate of the Alma Mater and a researcher with the GNA, said that Francisco Lopera has also contributed to identifying methods to predict cognitive impairment in individuals at risk of dementia. He also developed diagnostic and prognostic tools for treatment and prevention of dementia.

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For the presentation of this award, the AAN highlighted three significant achievements of the GNA. First, they discovered the largest population group in the world with a genetic form of hereditary Alzheimer’s and identified the Paisa mutation, which causes this disease. Second, they followed this population to define the preclinical stage of Alzheimer’s, detailing what happens before the first symptoms appear. Third, they discovered protective genes that can delay the onset of symptoms by 20 to 30 years. “Those protective genes indicate a route to curing and preventing Alzheimer’s disease,” said Lopera Restrepo.

Dr. Francisco Lopera, coordinator of the Neurosciences of Antioquia Group at UdeA, stands alongside Andi Potamkin, director of the Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick’s, Alzheimer’s, and Related Diseases. Photo: Courtesy.

At a ceremony preceding the official award presentation, Andi Potamkin, director of the award, expressed, “For me, as a family member and not as a scientist, the services Dr. Lopera offers go far beyond anything I have seen: he visits every home; he knows every person’s name; he breaks bread with those families, personally educating them about what is happening in real-time. And I mean hundreds of people! He develops treatment and education centers and has established social support programs that have benefited entire communities. He sees himself as part of a larger ecosystem and believes in looking after each other while conducting his research. I admire him immensely!”

A training researcher  

Dr. Lopera’s exceptional contributions in the field of Alzheimer’s disease extend beyond his scientific and academic endeavors, as highlighted by neuropsychologist Yakeel Quiroz. “Over the past 40 years, he has trained and educated hundreds of students, residents, researchers, neurologists, neuropsychologists, and neuroscientists, including myself,” she said. “Many of whom have also emerged as internationally recognized leaders in the field of Alzheimer’s and dementia,” she added.

“I am very pleased to receive this award and to have had the opportunity to present to the American Academy of Neurology, the American Brain Foundation, and the Potamkin family the culmination of our research spanning over four decades in Antioquia,” said Dr. Lopera. He recalled that the GNA also continues its investigation into all neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s and Huntington’s. “We are working hard to discover new protective genes that will show us the way to a cure for the disease,” he concluded. “We are diligently searching for new protective genes that will guide us towards a cure for the disease,” he concluded.

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