Emory University has named Todd E. Golde, MD, PhD, the new director of the Emory Center for Neurodegenerative Disease (CND) in the Goizueta Institute @ Emory Brain Health. Golde will also be appointed a Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) Eminent Scholar in Neuroscience, with a primary faculty appointment in Emory’s Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology and a secondary appointment in the Department of Neurology.
An international expert in the scientific understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, Golde will expand Emory’s translational research for the development of new therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases, while facilitating interdisciplinary research in neuroinflammation, bridging the neuroscience and immunology communities.
“Dr. Golde is a world leader in neuroscience research and together at Emory, with our extraordinary faculty in this field, we will be able to make breakthroughs to serve patients and families in innovative ways,” says President Gregory L. Fenves. “I am grateful to the Georgia Research Alliance for their visionary investment in Dr. Golde and for their commitment to bringing peerless scientists to Georgia.”
Golde’s recruitment to Emory builds on decades of research program development for neurological diseases, including the Emory CND and the Goizueta Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (GADRC). The Emory CND was established 20 years ago as an inter-departmental translational research program to support faculty members, high-impact team science, core facilities and unique training and professional development opportunities.
“We are delighted to announce Dr. Golde’s new role at Emory as director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease in the Goizeuta Institute @ Emory Brain Health,” says Allan Levey, MD, PhD, founding director of the Goizueta Institute and director of the Emory GADRC.
“His expertise and leadership in the study of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, his innovative science and commitment to training and career development make him a perfect choice to help us bridge the areas of neuroscience, immunology and pharmacology. This is a vital part of our efforts to accelerate and broaden the team-based science urgently needed to advance treatments for devastating brain diseases.”
“Georgia is fortunate to recruit an enterprising scientist of the caliber of Todd Golde,” says Susan Shows. president of the Georgia Research Alliance. “His career is marked not only by pioneering work in neuroscience but also by an entrepreneurial drive and a proven ability to collaborate within and across institutions. He will be an excellent addition to Emory and to the Academy of GRA Scholars.”
Golde has been a professor of neuroscience and neurology at the University of Florida and director of the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute, Golde was also a founding director of the 1Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, a consortium of leading Florida institutions supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Golde’s research laboratory has produced 310 publications cited approximately 43,000 times and has been awarded more than $65 million in NIH grants since 2000. Golde is an inventor on over 15 patents and patent applications and is a co-founder of two biotech companies.
“Dr. Golde’s remarkable accomplishments and strong interest in advancing novel therapeutic strategies to address the challenging Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, align perfectly well with our department’s shared vision for therapeutic innovation. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Golde to Emory,” says Haian Fu, PhD, professor and chair, Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Emory University School of Medicine.
Golde’s Alzheimer’s disease research helped lay the foundation for the amyloid hypothesis and has made major contributions to the understanding of amyloid and tau pathologies, as well as the immune system’s role in the disease. In an effort to develop innovative new therapies to combat Alzheimer’s disease, Golde’s laboratory is exploring a large number of proteins that accumulate alongside amyloid; investigating the use of antibodies to target psychological stress pathways, thought to contribute to AD and many other diseases; and evaluating ways in which the immune system might be harnessed for beneficial effects in AD.
Established in 1990, the Georgia Research Alliance is a public-private partnership that supports the recruitment of top scientists to Georgia universities, fueling both new discoveries and economic growth. Currently, there are 14 GRA Eminent Scholars and 3 Distinguished Investigators at Emory.
Golde will begin at Emory on Aug. 1, 2022.