Donald L. Price

Donald Lowell Price (June 16, 1935 – May 5, 2023) was an American neuropathologist and professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His research aimed to understand the molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease. Price received a number of awards for his work and served as the President of both the American Association of Neuropathologists and the Society for Neuroscience.

Background Price was born in Stamford, Connecticut on June 16, 1935. He attended Wesleyan University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. In 1961, he received his medical degree from Albany Medical College of Union University. Following graduation, Dr. Price was a Medical Intern and Resident at the New England Medical Center, Boston, MA ( 1961–1963), and he completed a Neurology Residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (1963-1968). He was a Staff Neurologist at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland (1966–1968). He returned to Boston as a Senior Fellow in Neuropathology at Mass General (1968–1969) and as a Research Fellow in Cell/Molecular Biology (with Keith Porter)(1969-1970) at Harvard University.

Career Price's first faculty appointment was as an assistant professor in the Departments of Neurology and Pathology at Harvard Medical School in 1970. In 1971, he was recruited to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, becoming the Founding Director of the Division of Neuropathology. At Hopkins, Price was a professor of pathology, Neurology, and Neuroscience.

Price served as President of the American Association of Neuropathologists from 1989 to 1990. From 2000 to 2001, he served as President of the Society for Neuroscience. Price was a member of The Institute of Medicine (National Academy of Sciences)(1998).

Over the course of his career, Price trained hundreds of medical and graduate students, house officers and postdoctoral fellows. His trainees include many prominent basic scientists and clinicians at a variety of medical schools, universities, and government institutions. During the "Decade of the Brain" (1990-2000), Price was ranked among the top ten neuroscientists as authors of high-impact papers in neuroscience by Science Watch (12 102 2001).

Research Price first focused on the biology of motor neurons, but later in his career, he became interested in brain mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases, particularly [Alzheimer's disease]". He often used animal models in order to "allow a more direct insight into pathogenesis", in parallel with comparative analyses of disease in humans. His work with transgenic mice sought to experimentally test new treatment mechanisms before they reached human subjects. These studies identified specific genes that are often risk factors, particularly genes related to the generation and aggregation of Amyloid beta, a key component of Abeta plaques in the brain. thumb 319x319px In 1985, Price became Principal Investigator of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Johns Hopkins University, one of the first federally funded Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers in the United States.

Awards and honors Year Award/Honor 1989 Metropolitan Life Foundation Award 1990 President of the American Association of Neuropathologists 1992 Potamkin Prize for Alzheimer's Disease Research 1994 Leadership in Alzheimer's Disease (LEAD) Award (National Institute of Aging) 2000-2001 President of the Society for Neuroscience 2001 Wartenberg Award 2012 The Award for Meritorious Contributions to Neuropathology 1986 2000 2 Javits Neuroscience Investigator Merit Awards (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Publications Below are some of Price's highly cited publications: