image: Rusty Gage
Credit: Salk Institute
LA JOLLA (August 14, 2024)—Professor Rusty Gage has been awarded the 2024 J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine by the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and the Robarts Research Institute at Western University. One of the most prestigious medical research awards in Canada, the Taylor Prize recognizes scientists for transformative, career-defining work in basic sciences, translational research, and medical innovations.
This year’s prize specifically honors a research leader in aging-related medical science and research—a long-term focus of Gage and his lab. Gage will receive $50,000 and be celebrated at a Robarts Research Institute event in November.
“Rusty’s groundbreaking efforts to develop sophisticated models of the aging brain continue to enrich our understanding of human health and disease,” says Salk President Gerald Joyce. “This prize is a testament to his ingenuity and leadership in the field of neuroscience.”
Gage is a professor in the Laboratory of Genetics, Vi and John Adler Chair for Research on Age-Related Neurodegenerative Disease, and former president of the Salk Institute.
Gage studies how genes and environmental factors guide the plasticity, adaptability, and diversity of the human brain. To do this, he develops laboratory models of the human brain by reprogramming patients’ skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, induced neurons, and organoids (3D collections of cells that mimic human tissues). These cutting-edge models have expanded what’s possible in neuroscience research and allowed Gage to make many exciting discoveries about the brain and age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
In 2015, Gage’s lab pioneered a method to convert older people’s skin cells into brain cells, all while retaining the cells’ molecular signatures of aging. In 2022, the lab used this method to discover that deteriorating neurons can be a source of brain inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease. In two subsequent studies, Gage’s lab introduced non-neuronal cells called microglia and astrocytes to their brain organoids—a huge step for making organoid models more accurate representations of the human brain.
As a scientific leader, Gage models the importance of collaboration through his work with Salk colleagues and global collaborators. Alongside Professor Jan Karlseder, Gage helped create another type of tool to help scientists study aging called Telo-seq. The tool was designed to revolutionize the study of telomeres—the protective endcaps of our chromosomes that shrink as we age. In a new collaboration with Assistant Professor Pallav Kosuri funded by the W. M. Keck Foundation, he plans to investigate the way brain and heart cell functions decline over time due to ribosubstitution events, in which damaged DNA is repaired with pieces of RNA. Gage is also set to lead a new California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) funded Shared Resources Laboratory focused on stem cell-based models of aging and neurodegeneration.
Gage has earned numerous awards and accolades in his career, including an International Society for Stem Cell Research Achievement Award in 2020 and ARCS Foundation Scientist of the Year in 2018. He has also remained on Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list for nine years running. Additionally, he is a member of the US National Academy of Medicine, US National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and American Philosophical Society.
About the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry:
Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry is one of Canada’s preeminent medical and dental schools. Established in 1881, it was one of the founding schools of Western University. For more than 130 years, the School has demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence and a passion for scientific discovery.
About the Robarts Research Institute:
Opened in 1986, Robarts Research Institute at Western University is a medical research facility in London, Ontario, with more than 600 people working to investigate some of the most debilitating diseases of our time, from heart disease and stroke to diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and many forms of cancer.
About the Salk Institute for Biological Studies:
Unlocking the secrets of life itself is the driving force behind the Salk Institute. Our team of world-class, award-winning scientists pushes the boundaries of knowledge in areas such as neuroscience, cancer research, aging, immunobiology, plant biology, computational biology, and more. Founded by Jonas Salk, developer of the first safe and effective polio vaccine, the Institute is an independent, nonprofit research organization and architectural landmark: small by choice, intimate by nature, and fearless in the face of any challenge. Learn more at www.salk.edu.