Bradley T. Hyman, M.D., Ph.D.

Director, Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center & John B. Penney Jr. Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School

Alzheimer's Unit Director, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease

Dr. Hyman directs the Alzheimer’s unit at MIND (Massachusetts Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease), with the goal of understanding the neuropathophysiologic and genetic factors that underlie dementia. The take-off point for Dr. Hyman’s research program involves understanding the neural system failure that underlies cognitive loss in Alzheimer’s, and an appreciation of how genetics impacts pathophysiology. His laboratory also uses transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease and in vitro systems to examine the roles of presenilin mutations and receptors in neuronal function and on Alzheimer’s related processes.

A recent initiative in Dr. Hyman’s laboratory has been the development of in vivo imaging with 2-photon confocal microscopy. This provides the ability to view neurons in the intact, functioning brain in mice and track the pathological changes that occur during disease processes. His lab has shown that plaques can be reversed by therapeutic application of antibodies.

Dr. Hyman is statewide chair of the Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk.

Funded Research

Project Description Researchers Funding
CIRCUITS: IPS Cells and the Human Brain

There is no doubt that iPS cells derived from peripheral cells have enormous promise for personalized medicine, biomarker development, individualized treatment strategies and fundamental understanding of neurodegenerative disease. The ability to differentiate fibroblasts, for example, into relevant central nervous system cells, including cells that appear to be neurons and glia, is fascinating new science. Yet the connection between the cells that are in the dish, and the actual neurons and glia in the brain of the same individual, is truly unknown.

 2016
$145,004
Relating AD Brain Morphology to AD Genotype

The Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Disease Center has collected approximately 800 brain samples, providing an extraordinary resource for clinical-pathological correlations for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

 2006
$100,000

Selected Publications

These published papers resulted from Cure Alzheimer’s Fund support.
Viswanathan J, Haapasalo A, Bottcher C, Miettinen R, Kurkinen KMA, Lu A, Thomas A, Maynard CJ, Romano D, Hyman BT, Berezovska O, Nertram L, Soininen H, Dantuma NP, Tanzi RE, Hiltunen M, Alzheimer's Disease-Associated Ubiquilin-1 Regulates Presenilin-1 Accumulation and Aggresome Formation, Traffic, 12(3), Mar 12, 2011, 330-48
Kim M, Hersh LB, Leissring MA, Ingelsson M, Matsui T, Farris W, Lu A, Hyman BT, Selkoe DJ, Bertram L, Tanzi RE, Decreased catalytic activity of the insulin degrading enzyme in chromosome 10-linked Alzheimer’s disease families., Journal of Biological Chemistry, 282(11), 2007, 7825-32