Scientific Representative of Alzheimer Research UK.

Dr Eric Karran is a molecular biochemist by training, with a particular interest in enzymology and proteinases.  He has spent most of his career in the pharmaceutical industry, leading and managing multi-disciplinary drug discovery teams.   He has held Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President roles in a number of companies, including SmithKline Beecham (now GSK), Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Johnson and Johnson.  During his career he has led and participated in a number of academic/industry collaborations.  Eric has specialized in Neuroscience research, and particularly Alzheimer’s disease, for the past 20 years, participating in a number of projects that have led to late-stage clinical programmes.   Eric is a Visiting Professor in the Department for Human Genetics at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, and an Honorary Senior Research Associate in the Department of Molecular Neuroscience at the Institute of Neurology, University College London.   He is currently the Director of Research for Alzheimer’s Research UK and has responsibility for setting the organization’s strategic scientific direction.

Main publications:

  1. Samer Matta, Kristof Van Kolen, Geert van den Bogaart, Raquel da Cunha, Wim Mandemakers, Katarzyna Miskiewicz, Pieter-Jan De Bock, Vanessa A. Morais, Sven Vilain, Dominik Haddad, Jef Swerts, Lucia Chavez, Giovanni Esposito, Guy Daneels, Eric Karran, Matthew Holt, Kris Gevaert, Dieder Moechars, Bart De Strooper and Patrik Verstreken. LRRK2 controls an EndoA phosphorylation cycle in synaptic endocytosis. Neuron,;75:1008-1021 (2012).
  2. Lucía Chávez-Gutiérrez, Leen Bammens, Iryna Benilova, Annelies Vandersteen, Manasi Benurwar, Marianne Borgers, Sam Lismont, Lujia Zhou, Simon Van Cleynenbreugel, Hermann Esselmann, Jens Wiltfang, Lutgarde Serneels, Eric Karran, Harrie Gijsen, Joost Schymkowitz, Frederic Rousseau, Kerensa Broersen, Bart De Strooper. The mechanism of gamma-Secretase dysfunction in familial Alzheimer disease. EMBO J., 31: 2261-2274: (2012)
  3. Iryna Benilova, Eric Karran, Bart De Strooper. The toxic ABeta oligomer and Alzheimer’s disease: an emperor in need of clothes. Nature Neuroscience, 15: 349-357 (2012).
  4. Eric Karran, Marc Mercken and Bart De Strooper. The amyloid cascade
    hypothesis for Alzheimer’s disease: an appraisal for the development of
    therapeutics. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 10: 698-712 (2011).
  5. L. Serneels, J. Van Biervliet, K. Craessaerts,  T. Dejaegere,  K. Horre, T. Van Houtvin,  H.Esselmann,  S. Paul, MK. Schafer,  O. Berezovska,  BT. Hyman B. Sprangers,  R.Sciot,  L. Moons, M. Jucker, Z. Yang,  PC. May, E. Karran J. Wiltfang,  R. D’Hooge,  B. De Strooper.  Gamma-secretase heterogeneity in the Aph1 subunit: relevance for Alzheimer’s disease. Science, 324: 639-642, (2009).