World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Biology and Biochemistry

D-Index
76
Citations
36450
World Ranking
4929
National Ranking
2368

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2010 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 2009 - Sedgwick Memorial Medal, American Public Health Association
  • 2009 - Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick's, Alzheimer's, and Related Diseases, American Academy of Neurology
  • 2007 - Metlife Foundation Award for Medical Research in Alzheimer's Disease

Overview

Robert Vassar is affiliated with Northwestern University in the United States and has contributed extensively to research primarily focused on Alzheimer's disease and related neurodegenerative conditions. Their scholarly work intersects several disciplines, including medicine, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and neuroscience.

Their recent publications include significant papers such as:

  • The β-Secretase BACE1 in Alzheimer's Disease, 2020, Biological Psychiatry
  • The innate immunity protein IFITM3 modulates γ-secretase in Alzheimer's disease, 2020, Nature
  • The gut microbiome in Alzheimer's disease: what we know and what remains to be explored, 2023, Molecular Neurodegeneration
  • The case for low-level BACE1 inhibition for the prevention of Alzheimer disease, 2021, Nature Reviews Neurology
  • Oligodendrocytes produce amyloid-β and contribute to plaque formation alongside neurons in Alzheimer's disease model mice, 2024, Nature Neuroscience

Vassar's work consistently addresses topics connected to Alzheimer's disease research and treatments, including neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration mechanisms, dementia and cognitive impairment research, and neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms. They also explore the roles of tryptophan in brain disorders, neuroscience and neuropharmacology, as well as the influence of gut microbiota on health.

  • Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
  • Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Tryptophan and brain disorders
  • Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Gut microbiota and health
  • Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms

Their publications target both broad and specialized academic venues, including:

  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
  • Molecular Neurodegeneration
  • Alzheimer s & Dementia
  • Biological Psychiatry
  • Nature Medicine

Noteworthy frequent collaborators in their research network include Katherine R. Sadleir, Leah K. Cuddy, Sidhanth Chandra, Jelena Popović, and Elyse Watkins.

Their scientific contributions span multiple fields of study, primarily focusing on:

  • Medicine
  • Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • Neuroscience

Within these, they delve into subfields such as physiology, molecular biology, neurology, cellular and molecular neuroscience, and psychiatry and mental health to address complex biological and clinical questions related to neurodegenerative diseases.

  • Physiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Neurology
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

Recognition for their work includes several awards, notably:

  • Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2010
  • Sedgwick Memorial Medal, American Public Health Association, 2009
  • Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick's, Alzheimer's, and Related Diseases, American Academy of Neurology, 2009
  • Metlife Foundation Award for Medical Research in Alzheimer's Disease, 2007

Best Publications

  • Beta-secretase cleavage of Alzheimer's amyloid precursor protein by the transmembrane aspartic protease BACE.

    Robert Vassar;Brian D. Bennett;Safura Babu-Khan;Steve Kahn

  • Intraneuronal beta-amyloid aggregates, neurodegeneration, and neuron loss in transgenic mice with five familial Alzheimer's disease mutations: potential factors in amyloid plaque formation.

    Holly Oakley;Sarah L. Cole;Sreemathi Logan;Erika Maus

  • Topographic organization of sensory projections to the olfactory bulb

    Robert Vassar;Steve K. Chao;Raquel Sitcheran;Jennifer M. Nuñez

  • Mice deficient in BACE1, the Alzheimer's beta-secretase, have normal phenotype and abolished beta-amyloid generation.

    Yi Luo;Brad Bolon;Steve Kahn;Brian D. Bennett

  • Spatial segregation of odorant receptor expression in the mammalian olfactory epithelium

    Robert Vassar;John Ngai;Richard Axel

  • The secretases: enzymes with therapeutic potential in Alzheimer disease

    Bart De Strooper;Robert Vassar;Todd Golde

  • APP mouse models for Alzheimer's disease preclinical studies

    Hiroki Sasaguri;Hiroki Sasaguri;Per Nilsson;Per Nilsson;Shoko Hashimoto;Kenichi Nagata

  • Targeting the β secretase BACE1 for Alzheimer's disease therapy

    Riqiang Yan;Robert Vassar

  • BACE1 deficiency rescues memory deficits and cholinergic dysfunction in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

    Masuo Ohno;Evgeny A Sametsky;Linda H Younkin;Holly Oakley

  • The β-Secretase Enzyme BACE in Health and Alzheimer's Disease: Regulation, Cell Biology, Function, and Therapeutic Potential

    Robert Vassar;Dora M. Kovacs;Riqiang Yan;Philip C. Wong

  • Anti-Inflammatory Drug Therapy Alters β-Amyloid Processing and Deposition in an Animal Model of Alzheimer's Disease

    Qiao Yan;Jianhua Zhang;Hantao Liu;Safura Babu-Khan

  • The Alzheimer's disease β-secretase enzyme, BACE1

    Sarah L Cole;Robert Vassar

  • The β-Secretase BACE1 in Alzheimer's Disease.

    Harald Hampel;Robert Vassar;Bart De Strooper;Bart De Strooper;Bart De Strooper;John Hardy

  • Mutant keratin expression in transgenic mice causes marked abnormalities resembling a human genetic skin disease.

    Robert Vassar;Pierre A Coulombe;Linda Degenstein;Kathryn Albers

  • Transgenic mice provide new insights into the role of TGF-alpha during epidermal development and differentiation.

    R Vassar;E Fuchs

  • BACE1 inhibitor drugs in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease

    Robert Vassar

  • Phosphorylation of the Translation Initiation Factor eIF2α Increases BACE1 Levels and Promotes Amyloidogenesis

    Tracy O'Connor;Katherine Rose Sadleir;Erika Maus;Rodney A. Velliquette

  • BACE1: the beta-secretase enzyme in Alzheimer's disease.

    Robert Vassar

  • Tissue-specific and differentiation-specific expression of a human K14 keratin gene in transgenic mice

    Robert Vassar;Marjorie Rosenberg;Susan Ross;Angela Tyner

  • Expression analysis of BACE2 in brain and peripheral tissues.

    Brian D. Bennett;Safura Babu-Khan;Richard Loeloff;Jean Claude Louis

Frequent Co-Authors

Martin Citron
Martin Citron Amgen (United States)
Elaine Fuchs
Elaine Fuchs Rockefeller University
John F. Disterhoft
John F. Disterhoft Northwestern University
Gopal Thinakaran
Gopal Thinakaran University of Chicago
Masuo Ohno
Masuo Ohno Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research
Christian Haass
Christian Haass Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Philip C. Wong
Philip C. Wong Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Richard Axel
Richard Axel Columbia University
David A. Bennett
David A. Bennett Rush University Medical Center

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