Huntington Potter joins
the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, University of Colorado
Anschutz Medical Campus
AURORA, Colo. (July 10, 2012) – Renowned scientist, Huntington Potter, MD, will galvanize Alzheimer’s disease research and initiate the formation of a new clinical care center here in Colorado. In July, Dr. Potter joins the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Department of Neurology and the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus where his lab will study the mechanism by which Alzheimer’s disease and Down syndrome arise and research drugs that could ameliorate or prevent Alzheimer’s disease. He also will begin the process of building an Alzheimer’s disease center for excellence in clinical care, the only one in Colorado and in a thousand-mile radius of Denver.
Potter
discovered and is devoted to studying the mechanistic relationship between Alzheimer’s
disease and Down syndrome. His seminal research led to the discovery of
triplication of chromosome 21 in many cells of patients with Alzheimer’s disease,
leading Potter to postulate that people with Alzheimer’s have a genetic defect
or an environmental exposure that leads them to develop mosaic trisomy 21/Down
syndrome.
In
his new role as Director of Alzheimer's Disease Research in the CU School of
Medicine Department of Neurology and the Linda Crnic Center for Down Syndrome,
Potter will develop clinical trials to prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s
disease.
“I’m
excited to be part of the Crnic Institute and the Department of Neurology here
on the Anschutz Medical Campus,” said Potter. “Alzheimer’s disease and Down
syndrome are two sides of the same coin and studying them together will best
hasten the development of new treatments for both. In Colorado I can build the
ideal joint program that should eventually benefit millions of people suffering
from Alzheimer’s disease including those with Down syndrome.”
Tom Blumenthal, the Anna
and John J. Sie Professor in Genomics and Executive Director of the Crnic
Institute, welcomes Potter to the growing number of scientists working on Down syndrome
research. “Dr. Potter’s hire underscores how providing research funds
benefitting people with Down syndrome can also benefit tens of millions
suffering from diseases such as Alzheimer’s, congenital heart disease or
certain cancers. We are pleased to be collaborating with the Department of
Neurology to hire such an outstanding scientist who is focused on helping people
with Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease.”
“We are excited that Dr. Potter has chosen to join the
University of Colorado School of Medicine to develop our new program in
Alzheimer’s disease,” said Kenneth L. Tyler, MD, Reuler-Lewin Family Professor
and chairman of the Department of Neurology. “He brings a commitment to
improving the understanding of this disorder and the care for individuals at
risk for Alzheimer’s disease. His presence at the University of Colorado Anschutz
Medical Campus significantly enhances our presence in this critically important
area, and sets the stage for development of an Alzheimer’s Disease Research
Center at the CU School of Medicine.”
The average lifespan of
a person with Down syndrome has more than doubled over the last three decades
to 60 years. The increase is due in large part to the dismantling of inhumane
institutions and improved access to life-saving care. With this increased
lifespan, a large number of people with Down syndrome are being diagnosed with
the early onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
Current research
estimates all people with Down syndrome will have the brain pathology of
Alzheimer’s disease but only about half will have the associated degenerative cognitive
symptoms. The Crnic Institute is dedicated to eradicating the medical and
cognitive ill effects associated with Down syndrome, and relies on the Global
Down Syndrome Foundation for fundraising, education, awareness and government
advocacy.
Both the Crnic Institute
and the Global Down Syndrome Foundation are made possible by the generous
support of founding donors Anna and John J. Sie, whose granddaughter happens to
have Down syndrome. The Anna and John J. Sie
Foundation
has committed more than $22 million dollars to establish the Crnic Institute as
the worldwide beacon for research and care related to Down syndrome.
“Alzheimer’s
disease is an immense and increasing problem across the population, and
particularly for adults with Down syndrome,” said John J. Sie. “The appointment
of Hunt Potter demonstrates that the Crnic Institute is engaged in research
that will change the outcome for these individuals.”
Prior
to joining the Crnic Institute, Potter studied, researched and taught for 30 years
at Harvard University. He received his AB Cum
Laude in Physics and Chemistry and his MA and PhD in Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology before spending 13 years on the faculty of the Neurobiology
Department. In 1998, he joined the Faculty at the University of South Florida
(USF) as the Eric Pfeiffer Chair for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease. He
designed and directed the NIA-designated Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research
Center at USF and was elected President of the Faculty at the College of
Medicine, and President of the USF Tampa Faculty Senate. From 2004-2008, Potter
was CEO and Scientific Director of the Johnnie B. Byrd Sr. Alzheimer’s Center
& Research Institute, during which time the Institute built the largest
free-standing Alzheimer’s disease research institute in the world and developed
seven new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease in preparation for human trials.
Potter is
credited with the first demonstration of the Holliday intermediate in genetic
recombination, the perfection of electroporation for gene transfer, and the
discovery of the essential role of inflammation and the amyloid-promoting
activity of the apoE-4 protein in Alzheimer's disease. He is the author of more
than 100 scientific articles and books, is the holder of 15 U.S. and foreign
patents, has sat on scientific advisory and review committees in academia,
industry and government, and has received numerous awards for his work. In
2010, Potter was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science. His electron micrographs of DNA are on permanent
exhibit in the National American History Museum of the Smithsonian Institute in
Washington D.C.
About the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome
The Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome is the first medical and research institute
with the mission to provide the best clinical care to people with Down
syndrome, and to eradicate the medical and cognitive ill effects associated
with the condition. Established in 2008, the Crnic Institute is a partnership
between the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the University of Colorado
Boulder, and Children’s Hospital
Colorado. Headquartered
on the Anschutz Medical Campus, the Crnic Institute includes the Anna and John
J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome at the Children’s Hospital Colorado. It
partners both locally and globally to provide life-changing research and
medical care for individuals with Down syndrome. The Crnic Institute is made
possible by the generous support of the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation, and
relies on the Global Down Syndrome Foundation for fundraising, education,
awareness and government advocacy. It is a research and medical-based
organization without political or religious affiliation or intention.
About the Global Down Syndrome Foundation
The Global Down Syndrome Foundation
is a public non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to significantly improving the lives
of people with Down syndrome through research, medical care, education and
advocacy. Formally established in 2009, the Foundation’s primary focus is to
support the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, the first
academic home in the US committed to research and medical care for people with
the condition. Fundraising and government advocacy that corrects the alarming
disparity of national funding for people with Down syndrome is a major short-term
goal. The Foundation organizes the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show - the
single largest annual fundraiser benefitting people with Down syndrome.
Programmatically the Foundation organizes and funds many programs and
conferences including the Dare to Play Football and Cheer Camps, Global Down
Syndrome Educational Series, and Global Down Syndrome Multi-Language Resource
Project. The Foundation is an inclusive organization without political or
religious affiliation or intention.
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