Colombian doctor Francisco Lopera Restrepo, who dedicated his life to the study of Alzheimer’s, He died this Tuesday in Medellin at the age of 73, reported the University of Antioquia (UdeA), to which he was associated for decades.
“With profound sadness, admiration and gratitude, we at the UdeA say goodbye today to an invaluable human being, a rigorous professional, an inspiring professor and a curious and creative researcher who paved a path in the fight against Alzheimer’s,” the institution said in a statement.
Lopera He directed the Antioquia Neuroscience Group for 40 years, linked to the UdeA, where he coordinated research on Alzheimer’s and achieved important advances in understanding mutations that cause this disease, for which he received several international awards.
Last April, Lopera received the Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick, Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases, awarded by the American Academy of Neurology and the American Brain Foundation, in Denver (USA). and considered the most prestigious recognition in the field of research into neurodegenerative diseases in the world.
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“Society, scientific peers and generations of professionals that he trained recognize and admire him for identifying, studying and supporting people and families who suffer from the so-called ‘Paisa mutation’ of early Alzheimer’s, a hopeful scientific discovery,” added the University of Antioquia.
The ‘Paisa mutation’, which causes early dementia, was identified by the Colombian scientist after investigating more than 6,000 people from the department of Antioquia who suffer from this disorder.
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“The work led by Dr. Lopera with Colombian families with Alzheimer’s disease for almost 40 years has contributed significantly to the knowledge available around the world about this disease and neurodegenerative diseases,” said Yakeel T. Quiroz, professor at Harvard Medical School, when she nominated him for the Potamkin Prize.
He Dr. Lopera, who was born in the town of Santa Rosa de Osos (Antioquia), announced his retirement on August 15 due to health complications caused by a type of cancer.
EFE
