Speaker Profile
PMWC PIONEER AWARD
Pioneered amyloid and tau biology for biomarker-driven Alzheimer’s prevention
M.D., Director, Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, WashU
Biography
David Holtzman is one of the defining figures in Alzheimer’s disease research. His work established key foundations of the disease biology that now underpin biomarker-driven detection and therapeutic development, including the role of apolipoprotein E in amyloid-beta metabolism and in tau-mediated neurodegeneration, the role of the innate and adaptive immune response in neurodegeneration, and the influence of the sleep-wake cycle on amyloid accumulation and tau-mediated injury.
His laboratory helped drive the development and validation of cerebrospinal fluid and plasma biomarkers that detect Alzheimer’s pathology years before symptoms emerge, directly enabling the earlier, biology-based clinical trial strategies now shaping the field. His contributions to tau biology and neurodegeneration further clarified the sequence linking amyloid, tau, and neuronal loss.
A member of the National Academy of Medicine and former President of the American Neurological Association, Holtzman has translated decades of mechanistic discovery into the scientific framework for Alzheimer’s prevention and treatment. His career helped define the scientific basis for precision neurology in neurodegenerative disease.
Talk
Chair a session on Blood biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease
From Blood Test to Treatment - Are We Finally Diagnosing Alzheimer's Early Enough
Session Abstract – PMWC 2027 Silicon Valley
Track Chair:
David Liebeskind, UCLA
PMWC Award Ceremony
• Li-Huei Tsai, MIT Picower Institute (Pioneer)
• Thomas C. Südhof, Stanford (Nobel Laureate, Pioneer)
• David Holtzman, WashU (Pioneer)
• Henrik Zetterberg, UCL / Gothenburg (Luminary)
Featured Speakers
• Thomas C. Südhof, Stanford
• Li-Huei Tsai, MIT Picower Institute
• David Holtzman, WashU
• Henrik Zetterberg, UCL / Gothenburg
• Mark Mintun, Lilly
• Randall Bateman, WashU
• Nikolaos Mellios, Circular Genomics
• Robert Rissman, USC
• Lynn Kramer, Eisai
• Thomas F. Tropea, University of Pennsylvania
• Ari J. Green, UCSF
• Diane Chan, Mass General Brigham
• Leslie Shaw, University of Pennsylvania
• Prashanthi Vemuri, Mayo Clinic
• Kejal Kantarci, Mayo Clinic
• Dan Huddleston, Lightbox Science
• Patrick Brannelly, 10K Brains
• Allan Levey, Emory
From Blood Test to Treatment
Are we finally diagnosing Alzheimer's early enough to change care?
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PMWC Hall of Impact
Previous Speakers Include
Nobel laureates, technology founders, regulators, CEOs and scientific pioneers who have taken the PMWC stage.
