2026 Dr. Philip J. Wyatt Technology Transfer Award
Dr. Ben Bahr has nearly 40 years of experience studying drugs to reduce the proteinopathy and associated synaptopathy of Alzheimer’s disease and other disorders. His lab has pioneered the understanding of lysosomal compensatory responses and the pharmacological modulation of the autophagy-lysosomal pathway in the brain, and the research has led to patents and product licensing agreements at three universities. Dr. Bahr’s training in chemistry and the neurobiology of learning and memory occurred at University of California – Santa Barbara and University of California – Irvine that together list 14 Nobel laureates, six in chemistry. Dr. Bahr co-invented non-peptidyl enzyme modulators while a Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of Connecticut.
Currently, as the William C. Friday Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina – Pembroke, Dr. Bahr’s drug discovery projects have developed unique series of small molecules for improving clearance of multiple types of disease-causing proteins and molecular complexes, thereby restoring the integrity of neurons and their synaptic connections. He has presented his team’s research in 18 countries, has over 150 publications (Scopus h-index 48), and his most recent spin-off company is involved in preclinical development for oral disease-modifying therapies to treat protein accumulation disorders.