Moussa B.H. Youdim

Moussa B.H. Youdim

Moussa B.H. Youdim, is an Iranian\Israeli neuroscientist-neuropharmacologist who has received numerous national and international awards and prizes for his fundamental works on aminergic neurotransmitters metabolism and function and iron metabolism in brain function and dysfunction with reference to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases and nutritional iron deficiency in children.

Birth and education

He was born in Tehran, Iran in 1940. In 1952 he was sent to an English boarding school in England. He completed his B.Sc. and M.Sc. at McGill University in 1962 in Montreal. He received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from McGill University, Allan Memorial Institute with Professor Theodore L Sourkes in 1966. From 1966 to 1971 he was post doctoral fellow at London University Graduate School in Prof. Merton Sandler laboratory in Queen Charlotte Maternity Hospital.

Academic career

He spent 1972 at the Department of Biochemistry Cambridge University and in 1973 he was a Wellcome Trust fellow at College de France in Paris. For 4 years he was a member of MRC unit of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Faculty of Medicine at Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University. In 1977 he was appointed Chairman and Professor of Pharmacology at the new developed medical school at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. He held the position of Distinguished Scientific Professorship at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hong Kong University, as well as Distinguished Professor of World Central Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. He is also Honorary Professor in 5 Universities in China, including Materia Medica Shanghai University of Chinese Traditional Medicine for his research studies on Chinese green extract. He is the director of the Eve Topf and United States, National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research. He is an elected member of the Leopoldina German Academy of Sciences. From 1991 to !998 he was an International Scholar at National Institute of Health, Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences, Bethesda, USA, where he received the John E. Fogarty Medal .

He is a discoverer of the anti Parkinson activity of the medications selelgiline (l-deprenyl) and developer of MAO-B inhibitor rasagiline which is considered to be the first disease modifying drug used for Parkinson's disease and ladostigil for Alzheimer's disease.[1][2] Experts have recently questioned whether rasagiline actually has significant disease modifying properties.[3]

Honors and awards

He has received numerous national and international prizes that includes [National Institute of Psychopharmacology of Israel] Prize and the [Anna Monika] Prize for the discovery of multiple forms of brain monoamine oxidases. The Shah of Iran recognized him in 1978 for "his advances in understanding Parkinson’s disease and migraine headaches." with the Royal Medal. He has received several Honorary Causa, Honorary Doctor of Philosophy. He was awarded The EMET Prize for Art, Science and Culture in 2010 for his work in brain research. He is the recipient of the 2010 ECNP, European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his innovative and lasting contribution to the area of neurodegenerative diseases and neuropsychiatric drug development and the 2012 International College of Neuropsychopharmacology (CINP) Pioneer Award, which included the Arvid Carlson Medal and International Catecholamine Research Award at the 10th International Catecholamine Conference in Asilomar.

Publicattion

Youdim MB, Bakhle YS.(2006) Monoamine oxidase: isoforms and inhibitors in Parkinson's disease and depressive illness. Br J Pharmacol. 147 Suppl 1:S287-96.

Zecca L, Youdim MB, Riederer P, Connor JR, Crichton RR.(2004) Iron, brain ageing and neurodegenerative disorders.Nat Rev Neurosci. 5(11):863-73.

Youdim MB, Edmondson D, Tipton KF.(2006) The therapeutic potential of monoamine oxidase inhibitors.Nat Rev Neurosci. 7(4):295-309.

Weinreb O, Amit T, Mandel S, Kupershmidt L, Youdim MB.(2010) Neuroprotective multifunctional iron chelators: from redox-sensitive process to novel therapeutic opportunities.Antioxid Redox Signal. 13(6):919-49.

References

  1. Youdim, M.B. (November 2003). "Rasagiline: an anti-Parkinson drug with neuroprotective activity". Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics. 3 (6): 737–49. doi:10.1586/14737175.3.6.737. PMID 19810877.
  2. Naoi, M.; Maruyama, W.; Youdim, M.B.; Yu, P.; Boulton, A.A. (2003). "Anti-apoptotic function of propargylamine inhibitors of type-B monoamine oxidase". Inflammopharmacology. 11 (2): 175–81. doi:10.1163/156856003765764344. PMID 15035819.
  3. Young, Donna. "Panel: Teva's Azilect Data Close, but No Cigar for Parkinson's Delay Claim". michaeljfox.org. FoxFeed Blog. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
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