Bart De Strooper

Professor Bart De Strooper, MD, PhD, is an internationally recognised molecular neuroscientist whose work has fundamentally shaped the modern understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders. He trained in medicine and neuroscience in Belgium and completed doctoral studies focused on molecular mechanisms of protein processing within the nervous system.
Professor De Strooper’s early research elucidated key aspects of proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and the role of γ-secretase complexes in generating amyloid-β peptides—central molecular events implicated in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis. His laboratory’s discoveries refined mechanistic models of neurodegeneration and provided molecular targets for therapeutic intervention in cognitive disorders.
Before his current leadership role in the United Kingdom, Professor De Strooper directed the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research in Belgium, where he expanded interdisciplinary investigations into synaptic dysfunction, protein aggregation, and neuronal homeostasis. Under his scientific stewardship, this research center became a global hub for dementia and neurodegeneration science.
In 2016 he was appointed Director of the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) at University College London, a major national initiative committed to accelerating discovery and translation in dementia research. In this capacity, Professor De Strooper has championed integrative frameworks that unite molecular biology, systems neuroscience, genetics, and therapeutic innovation toward preventing and treating Alzheimer’s disease.
His outstanding contributions have been widely recognised. He has been elected to multiple national academies, including the US National Academy of Medicine, and holds honorary doctorates and distinguished fellowships across scientific societies. His publications in high-impact journals such as Nature, Science, Cell, and Neuron have shaped molecular models of neurodegeneration and guided international research priorities.
Professor De Strooper continues to lead collaborative efforts bridging basic neuroscience and clinical translation, emphasizing mechanistic precision and multidisciplinary solutions to one of the most pressing biomedical challenges of the twenty-first century: the prevention and cure of dementia.