Professor Berislav V Zlokovic

Berislav V. Zlokovic is director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Mary Hayley and Selim Zilkha Chair in Alzheimer’s disease research, professor and chair of the Department of Physiology & Biophysics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and professor of biological sciences at the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Zlokovic is recognized internationally as a leader in the fields of Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. He has a life-long career in studying the role of cerebral blood vessels in Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. He identified the cellular and molecular mechanisms causing blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown, which he showed leads to neurodegeneration, as well as molecular mechanisms at the BBB that maintain clearance of Alzheimer’s amyloid-beta, and its re-entry into the brain, reflecting an important physiological function of the BBB in A-beta homeostasis. His discoveries have contributed to Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease, and phase 2 clinical studies in ischemic stroke with activated protein C (APC). Thomson Reuters listed Zlokovic as one of “The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds” in 2002-2012, 2014 and 2016 for ranking in top one percent of the most-cited authors in the field of neurosciences and behavioral sciences. He received the MetLife Award for Medical Research, the Potamkin Prize from the American Academy of Neurology, the MERIT Award from NIA and the Javits Award from NINDS. He is a fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS), and a member of the Danna Alliance for Brain Initiative, the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, and the European Academy of Sciences. Zlokovic is an active entrepreneur and inventor. He co-founded ZZ Biotech, a biotechnology company that is dedicated to developing new treatments for stroke and neurological disorders.

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