Roberta Diaz Brinton
Roberta Diaz Brinton, an internationally recognized expert in the cause and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, will be honored by Arizona’s life science and healthcare community at the AZBio Awards on Sept. 28 at the Phoenix Convention Center.
Her findings have re-shaped how the field understands the disease and unlocked potential for new and innovative therapies to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s.
More than 20 years ago, Brinton had two fundamental insights that have, after years of research, yielded major breakthroughs in understanding the etiology of Alzheimer’s and therapeutics to prevent, delay and treat the disease. Her insights, which predated the advent of precision medicine, formed the basis for programs of research that are critical to personalized therapeutic care for Alzheimer’s disease.
Brinton is the founding director of The Center for Innovation in Brain Science at the University of Arizona. CIBS is a hybrid ecosystem that leverages the best of innovative university research with the mission focus and management of a biotech. CIBS mission is dedicated to innovations in brain science of the future for those who need a cure today. CIBS research and therapeutic development are focused on age related neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis and ALS. Over the past five years, CIBS has generated over $100 million in federal research investment, eight patents and launched seven start-ups.
Her commitment to translational science and Arizona biotechnology inspired Brinton to found the biotech start-up NeuTherapeutics. Enabled by UArizona’s Tech Launch Arizona, NeuTherapeutics, was launched to ensure that the first regenerative medicine for Alzheimer’s disease reaches those who need a cure today.
Brinton serves on the National Institutes of Health scientific boards and panels, the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation Board of Governors. She has over 250 scientific publications, over a 1000 media multiple patents. Her honors include the 2022 Arizona Bioscience Researcher of the Year, Alzheimer’s Drug Discover Foundation Scientist of the Year, the Melvin R. Goodes Prize for Excellence in Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery, and the 2010 U.S. Presidential Citizens Medal, which is the highest civilian honor possible, for her work to advance STEM education for underserved students.
In 2021, Brinton was inducted as a Regents Professor, a title awarded to full professors who have made transformative and distinguished accomplishments in teaching, scholarship, research, and creative work.
