Bart de Strooper is Director of the UK-Dementia Research Institute. He is a leader for dementia science internationally; influencing research directions in the UK, Europe and the US. His studies describing how presenilin, the catalytic subunit of beta secretase, acts to promote cleavage of amyloid precursor protein led to integration of genetic association studies and a neurobiological model for Alzheimer’s disease. His recent studies have highlighted risks of treating Alzheimer’s by inhibition of the secretase, and suggest an alternative, safer target for AD treatment. Professor De Strooper is active in collaborative public-private efforts to translate these discoveries and holds 19 patents.