Luuk de Vries wins the first Dick Swaab Award

The Dick Swaab Award 2024 has been awarded to dr. Luuk de Vries, a PhD candidate at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, for his exceptional contribution to Alzheimer’s Disease research. The jury of the award prizes him as an excellent researcher with an impressive CV and strong scientific reputation.

Luuk de Vries conducted research on a unique cohort: brains of individuals who exhibit Alzheimer’s pathology but do not experience cognitive decline. This unique research offers new insights into how some appear to be resistant to Alzheimer’s. His work supports the renowned statement from Dick Swaab: ‘Use it or Lose it’. His results are promising and serve as an outstanding example of how valuable postmortem human brain tissue can be for scientific research. The research unravelled a molecular mechanism that could explain why some people can fend off Alzheimer’s disease. A specific group of brain cells, astrocytes, produce more antioxidants, which have a protective effect on the brain. This mechanism had not been shown before.

Aside from his scientific accomplishments, De Vries has also been actively involved in public outreach. His research received widespread media attention, which is well-deserved given the societal relevance of his work. Resilience against Alzheimer’s Disease is a topic that resonates with many. His unique combination of scientific excellence and societal engagement makes him an inspiring example within neuroscientific research.

The Dick Swaab Award was presented during the symposium Our Fragile Brain, which took place on 18 December in Amsterdam in honour of dr. Dick Swaab’s 80th birthday. The symposium reflected on Swaabs impressive career and impact of his scientific work.

The jury of the Award and the board of the Friends Foundation congratulate dr. Luuk de Vries with this well-deserved recognition!

Note to editors, not for publication:

Please contact Deborah Alfarez through 06-50063821 of d.alfarez@nin.knaw.nl for further information. Both Dick Swaab and Luuk de Vries are available for interviews.