For more than 35 years, Davies’ research has been focused on the biochemistry of Alzheimer's disease. His early work was instrumental in the development of the currently approved drugs for Alzheimer’s disease: Aricept, Exelon, and Razodyne. Davies is interested in the pathway of Alzheimer’s disease and has said that the disease may be a process of cell cycle division gone wild. He has evidence that the switch that drives the cell cycle of neurons, which is a one-time event when the neuron is born, is somehow tripped and reactivated late in life. He and his team designed an experiment to turn on the cell cycle in laboratory models. They put a viral oncogene into differentiated neurons and watched as pathological events unfolded. Davies and his collaborators have already identified a marker in cerebrospinal fluid that can distinguish Alzheimer’s disease from normal aging, as well as discriminate between Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The overall goal of Davies’ research is to develop treatments to slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Davies is internationally known for his work in unravelling the mystery of Alzheimer’s disease.
National Institute of Health MERIT award NIA, 2003–2013
Author of over 250 published research papers
The Bahbhani award for scientific achievement
The 2012 Long Island Alzheimer's Foundation award
• The 2015 Potamkin Award for research in Pick's, Alzheimer's, and related diseases
Multimedia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbafwPrDa0Q
Selected publications
Hampel H, Buerger K, Zinkowski R, Goernitz A, Teipel SJ, Andreasen N, Sjogren M, DeBernardis J, Kerkman D, Ishiguro K, Ohno H, Vanmechelen E, Vanderstichele H, McCulloch C, Möller HJ, Davies P, Blennow K. Measurement of phosphorylated tau epitopes in the differential diagnosis of Alzheinmer's disease - a comparative CSF study, Archives of General Psychiatry, 61; 95-102, 2004
Conrad C. Vianna C. Schultz C. Thal DR. Ghebremedhin E. Lenz J. Braak H. Davies P. Molecular Evolution and Genetics of the Saitohin Gene and tau haplotype in Alzheimer’s Disease and Argyrophilic Grain Disease. J Neurochem, 89, 179-188, 2004.
Bargorn S. Davies P. Mandelkow E. Tau paired helical filaments from Alzheimer’s disease brain and assembled in vitro are based on beta-structure in the core domain" Biochemistry 43, 1694–1703, 2004.
Andorfer CA. Acker CM. Kress Y. Hof PR. Duff K. Davies P. Cell Cycle Re-entry and Cell Death In Transgenic Mice Expressing Non-Mutant Human Tau Isoforms" J Neurosci 25; 5446-5454, 2005.
Marambaud P. Zhao H. Davies P. Resveratrol promotes clearance of Alzheimer’s disease amyloid-beta peptides" J Biol Chem 280, 37377-37382, 2005.
de Leon MJ. DeSanti S. Zinkowski R. Mehta PD. Pratico D. Segala S. Rusinek H. Lia J. Tsui W. Saint Louis LA. Clark CM. Tarshish C. Lia Y. Lair L. Javier E. Rich K. Lesbre P. Mosconi L. Reisberg B. Sadowski M. DeBernadis JF. Kerkman DJ. Hampel H. Wahlund L-O. Davies P. Longitudinal CSF and MRI biomarkers improve the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment. Neurobiology of Aging 27, 394-401, 2006.
d’Abramo C. Ricciarelli R. Pronzato MA. Davies P. Troglitazone, a Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor-gamma agonist, decreases tau phosphorylation in CHOtau4R cells" J. Neurochem 98, 1068–1077, 2006.
Park KHJ. Hallows JL Chakrabarty P Davies P Vincent I. Conditional neuronal SV40 T Antigen expression induces Alzheimer-like tau and amyloid pathology in mice" J Neurosci 27, 2969–2978, 2007.
Espinoza M. de Silva R. Dickson DW. Davies P. Differential Incorporation of Tau Isoforms in Alzheimer’s Disease. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 14, 1-16, 2008.
