Unravelling the aging brain’s secrets earns renowned U.S. neuroscientist prestigious 2024 Taylor Prize
By Cam Buchan
Rusty Gage has been on a 30-plus year journey studying the human brain; a journey that has forever changed our thinking about the aging brain.
In 1998, the revered Salk Institute neuroscientist discovered the human brain’s ability to generate new neurons throughout life.
“It is a great personal pleasure to be acknowledged among the outstanding list of past Laureates.” Rusty Gage, PhD
Neuroscientist, Salk Institute
This groundbreaking finding has not only upended popular belief about how and when the adult human brain stops developing but has also propelled neuroscience research into an era of remarkable new possibilities, offering hope that the human brain's own regenerative power could potentially be the key to reverse or heal the damage caused by age-related diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
For this extraordinary body of work, Gage, PhD , has been chosen as the 2024 J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine laureate by Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and the Robarts Research Institute at Western University. The theme of this year’s prize – one of Canada’s most prestigious medical research awards, which comes with a $50,000 award – is the science of aging.
“I am honoured to be the recipient of the 2024 J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine. It is a great personal pleasure to be acknowledged among the outstanding list of past Laureates. I share this recognition with the many colleagues and trainees that I have had the pleasure to work with, throughout my career.”
Gage will receive the award and deliver a keynote address at the 2024 Taylor Prize dinner on November 19, 2024. The evening celebration will recognize and celebrate the remarkable local and global advancements in medical research that impact one of the most universal human experiences – aging.
“The human brain and its extraordinary plasticity have been the focus of my research – from early development to aging. Now the later stages of brain development are what interest me,” said Gage, the Vi and John Adler Chair for Research on Age-Related Neurodegenerative Disease, and former president of the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California. The institute is renowned for its groundbreaking research in various fields of biology, including neuroscience, genetics and cancer.
Gage’s research has resulted in many breakthroughs, including numerous models of the aging brain, and new cellular processes that provided a better understanding of the effects of aging in the brain. Significantly, Gage developed laboratory models of the human brain by reprogramming patients’ skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, induced neurons, and organoids (3D collections of cells that mimic human tissues). These cutting-edge models have expanded what’s possible in neuroscience research and provide a better understanding of the brain and age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Thanks to a series of advancements in human biopsy methodology, Gage could look at age-related cognitive decline in such diseases as Alzheimer’s at a cellular level. The results were astonishing.
“Rusty Gage's extraordinary career has profoundly shaped our understanding of the aging brain and its remarkable adaptability. His pioneering work continues to challenge conventional thinking and inspire new avenues of research.” Robert Bartha, vice dean of Research & Innovation at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
“Some years ago, I was struck by the idea that in lower animals there were stem cells in areas of the brain involved in learning and memory that continued to generate new neurons over time. I was curious to know if this remarkable structural adaptation was retained in the human brain.”
“We demonstrated that humans, even late in life, continue to generate new neurons, and this plasticity is changed by our environment,” Gage said.
Called neurogenesis, Gage discovered the human brain can form new neurons and integrate them into existing brain circuits. These young neurons mature through exercise and an enriched environment and Gage’s lab is now working on a therapy to enhance this process.
But if you don’t use them, you’ll lose them, Gage added.
“Exercise increases proliferation. Enrichment increases survival.”
Further work using organoid technology has shown that many of the cellular and molecular events that appear to be involved in Alzheimer’s disease are also implicated in the progression towards cancer offering opportunities for crossover therapies, Gage said.
“Rusty Gage's extraordinary career has profoundly shaped our understanding of the aging brain and its remarkable adaptability. His pioneering work continues to challenge conventional thinking and inspire new avenues of research,” said Robert Bartha, vice dean of Research & Innovation at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, who called the selection process for the 2024 prize one of the most competitive in the recent history of the program.
“We’re thrilled that the Taylor Prize enables us to bring extraordinary scientists like Gage together with our own world-leading researchers, creating opportunities to share ideas, learn and drive advancements that could have a profound impact on the health-related challenges of aging.”
Gage will be also be featured, along with Schulich Medicine experts, on a new podcast miniseries called The Catalysts, which focuses on the science of aging. The miniseries is produced by Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry in association with the J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine.
Established in 1985, the J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine is named after the founding Chair of the Board at Robarts Research Institute. The award is generously supported by the Stiller Foundation and the family of the late J. Allyn Taylor.
