ICVS researcher Tiago Gil Oliveira has been awarded the 2024 BIAL Clinical Medicine Award for his groundbreaking work in Alzheimer’s disease research. His project, titled “Unveiling the Mysteries of the Brain’s Regional Susceptibility to Neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s Disease: From Neuropathology to Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging,” identifies the specific regions of the brain most affected by Alzheimer’s, offering hope for earlier diagnosis and more effective treatments.
The prestigious award, valued at 100,000 euros, highlights the significance of Oliveira’s research, which reveals that different regions of the brain are affected in distinct ways by the various toxic proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease. These toxic proteins disrupt normal brain function, leading to symptoms such as short-term memory loss and spatial disorientation. Oliveira’s study provides a deeper understanding of how each toxic protein impacts specific brain regions, helping to map the composition of these affected areas and paving the way for earlier detection and better-targeted treatments for the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease in Portugal and around the world.
“I began by studying a group of patients after their passing, examining the pattern of distribution of toxic proteins in their brains. I then explored their medical history through brain MRIs while they were still alive. Given that certain brain regions share similarities with those in mouse brains, I also used genetic mouse models to map the molecular composition of these affected regions and assess how manipulating altered molecular pathways influences learning and memory,” explained Tiago Gil Oliveira, Associate Professor at the School of Medicine of the University of Minho, neuroradiologist at the Hospital de Braga, and principal investigator at ICVS.
Tiago Gil Oliveira
Oliveira expressed his gratitude for the recognition, saying, “It is a great honor to be recognized with this award, as it is one of the most important in Portugal in the field of medicine. Over the past few years, I have maintained parallel careers as a physician, professor, and researcher, which presents great challenges. In order for my research to remain at a high level, a significant personal effort is required. I hope that moments like this, where the work of a physician-researcher is recognized, can contribute to the creation of a true career path for physician-researchers at an institutional level.”
Alzheimer’s disease, one of the most common and devastating neurodegenerative disorders, primarily affects individuals as they age. Oliveira’s research, which pinpoints the brain regions most differentially affected by Alzheimer’s, holds great promise for more precise and early diagnosis. As new therapies targeting amyloid beta accumulations are developed, Oliveira’s work underscores the importance of understanding the broader range of pathological factors affecting Alzheimer’s patients, paving the way for more personalized and effective treatments.
He also hopes this recognition will bring more attention to his and his team’s work, adding, “I hope this recognition brings more attention to the research that my team and I are conducting. We aim to better understand the pathological mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease to improve the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. This award may open new doors and contribute to improving the conditions under which our team works.”
As a researcher at ICVS, Tiago Gil Oliveira’s award further strengthens the institute’s reputation for contributing to innovative, impactful medical research that has the potential to transform the understanding and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
