Professor Katsumi Matsuzaki from the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences won the first place prize in the Erwin von Bälz Prize competition.
The prize was established in 1964 by Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, a German pharmaceutical company, for the purpose of remembering the historical relations in medicine between Japan and Germany, further deepening their ties, and assisting the research activities of medical researchers in Japan. This year's prize is the 48th such prize.
He was awarded the prize for his research in the discovery of amyloid aggregation triggering mechanism and its application to the development of remedies for Alzheimer's disease. The prize was won together with Katsuhiko Yanagisawa (director of the National Center for Geriactrics and Gerontology's Center for Development of Advanced Medicine for Dementia) and Professor Koichi Kato (Okazaki Institute for Integrative Bioscience).
The award was presented at a solemn ceremony at the Official Residence of the Ambassador of Germany to Japan on November 25, in the presence of Ambassador Stanzel.