Moussa B. H. Youdim



Moussa B. H. Youdim is an internationally renowned Israeli neuroscientist specializing in neurochemistry and neuropharmacology. He is the discoverer of both monoamine oxidase (MAO) B inhibitors l-deprenyl (Selegiline) and rasagiline (Azilect) as anti-Parkinson drugs which possess neuroprotective activities. He is currently professor emeritus at Technion - Faculty of Medicine and President of Youdim Pharmaceuticals.

Early life
Youdim was born in Tehran, Iran second of five children. His father worked and traded with the British and wanted that the boys to be educated in England. He and his brother were sent to England boarding school in UK. He had an ambition to go to  medical school to study medicine and obtained his preclinical studies in Borough Polytechnique in London. he was accepted at McGill University in Montreal where he aobtained his B.Sc. degree. A lecture in neurochemsitry changed his mind about medical degree and decided to study brain chemistry.

Scientific career
Youdim upon joining Professor Theodore L Sourkes's laboratory at Allan Memorial Institute, McGill Department of Psychiatry, he began to work on the M.Sc. focusing on characteristics of the enzume monoamine oixdase (MAO), followed by Ph.D. He has focused most of his life on the field of neurochemistry and neuropharmacology of aminergic neurotransmitters in health and disease. In his M.Sc. and Ph.D. Studies he purified mitochondrial MAO and demonstrated two forms of the enzymes, which were later named A and B by Johnson ( 1968). One of his most important contributions to science was working with Professor Merton Sandler in London University Post Graduate School to study MAO inhibitors as anti-depressants and anti-Parkinson drugs. While at Oxford University Medical School, a chance meeting with Professor Peter Riederer resulted in employing the MAO-B inhibitor, l-deprenyl (Later named selegiline) a failed anti depressant, in Parkinson's disease, since the human brain basal ganglia were rich in MAO-B and dopamine. The clinical study was a success and was confirmed by others in clinical studies and eventual approval of selegiline by FDA.

At Technion in Haifa he discovered the second MAO B inhibitor, AGN1135, which was 20 times more potent than selegiline. Together with Prof. John Finberg and Teva Pharmecueitacl AGN1135 was developed as an anti Parkinson's Disease drug called rasagiline (Azilect), approved by FDA in 2006. This drug had neuroprotective activity in cell culture and in vivo animal models of Parkinson's disease and may have disease modifying activity in Parkinson's disease.

He pioneered the study of brain iron dysregulation on brain function. This included its nutritional deficiency, which results in cognitive impairment and learning process in animal models and children with nutritional iron deficiency. And iron accumulation in brain neurons that degenerate resulting in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases and ALS (amyotropic lateral sclerosis), where iron initiated oxidative stress may induce the process neurodegeneration. He was the first to demonstrate that iron chelators su desferal and VK-28 were neuroprotective in animal models of Parkinson's disease since neurodegeneration of substantia nigra dopamine neuros results in accumulation of iron. Free iron may cause generation of free radicals and oxidative stress. His other pioneering contribution is the development of multi-target drugs for treatment of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases possessing iron chleating, monomaine oxidase and cholinesterase inhibitory activities

Youdim has published almost nine hundred papers and reviews and edited 45 books in neurochemistry, neuropharmacology, multi-target drug development, and transcriptomics.

Prizes and Awards

 * 1966-1971 Wellcome Trust Fellow, Postgraduate Medical School, University of London
 * 1972. Wellcome Trust Fellow, College de France (Paris, France).
 * 1974. Anna-Monika Prize in the field of neurobiology and the treatment of depressive disorders (Basel, Switzerland).
 * 1974. British Migraine Association Special Gold Medal (London, England).
 * 1978. The Homayoon (Royal) Medal (Teheran, Iran).
 * 1978. Wellcome Trust Fellow, McGill University (Montreal, Canada).
 * 1980. Israel National Psychobiology Center Research Achievement Prize (Jerusalem, Israel).
 * 1984. Professor of Pharmacology Uniformed Armed Forces Medical School (Washington DC, USA).
 * 1986. Michael Landau Research Prize (Tel Aviv, Israel).
 * 1988. Maudsley Bequest Lecture, The Royal Society of Medicine (London, England).
 * 1989. Visiting Professor of Pharmacology, Uniformed Armed Forces Medical School (Washington DC, USA).
 * 1990. Max Planck Distinguished Lecturer, Molecular Neuropharmacology of Parkinson’s Disease (Gottingen, Germany).
 * 1990. Sandoz Lecture, Pharmacology of Parkinson’s Disease (Tokyo, Japan).
 * 1990. Senator Burda International Prize for Parkinson’s Disease (Vienna, Austria).
 * 1990. Upjohn Distinguished Lecture in Neuropharmacology of Parkinson’s Disease. Uniform Armed Forced University Medical School (Washington DC, USA).
 * 1991. Claudius Galenus Gold Medal Prize for Parkinson Disease, l-Deprenyl (selegiline) Drug of the Year (Berlin, Germany).
 * 1991. Deutscher Neuropharmakologie (AGNP) Prize (Nurenburg, Germany).
 * 1991. Eli Lilly Prize for Neuropsychopharmacology (Indianapolis, USA).
 * 1991. The B. Zondek Prize, Israel Endocrinology Society (Tel Aviv, Israel).
 * 1992. The Israel Fertility Society Prize (Tel Aviv, Israel).
 * 1993. The New England Prize for Excellence In Science (Boston, USA).
 * 1991-1998 Fogarty International Scholar In Residence at Fogarty Center For Advanced Study In Human Health NIH, NIDDK and NIMH (Bethesda, U
 * 1994. Henning Anderson Prize (Stockholm, Sweden)
 * 1995. Hershel Rich Innovation Prize, Technion (Haifa, Israel)
 * 1997. “Honoree Causa” Honorary Doctor of Philosophy. Semmelweiss University Medical School (Budapest, Hungary)
 * 1997. Henning Andersen International Prize (Stockholm, Sweden)
 * 1999. “Shepard Foundation International Neurodegenerative Diseases Lecture”, University of Florida, Tallahassee, USA
 * 1999. Moussa B..H.Youdim 60th Birthday, Festchrift, 15th Rappaport International Symposium, Molecular Biology of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, Haifa, Israel.
 * 2000. Moussa B.H.Youdim 60th Birthday, Festschrift Journal Neural Transmission dedicated to Moussa B.h. Youdim, 8th International Winter Conference on Neurodegenerative Diseases, (Tegernsee, Germany)
 * 2000. Hershel Rich Innovation Prize, Technion, (Haifa, Israel).
 * 2001. Polish Neuroscience-Pharmacology Presidential Lecture (Krakow, Poland).
 * 2002. Danish Neuroscience Presidential Lecture, Peter Henngaard Andersen Lecture (Copenhagen, Denmark).
 * 2002. Dutch Neuroscience Presidential Lecture, Hersenstichting Lecture and Prize (Amsterdam, Holland).
 * 2004. “Spring” Parkinson Lecture, Royal Society of Medicine (London, UK).
 * 2006. Herschel Rich Innovation Prize discovery of TVP-1022 a cardioprotective drug. Technion (Haifa, Israel).
 * 2006. Henry Taub Prize for Excellence in Research, Technion, (Haifa, Israel)., Hi
 * 2006. Journal of Neural Transmission, Suppl. Volume 71, dedicated to Moussa B.H. Youdim 65th birthday
 * 2007. Neurochemical Research, Volume 32 dedicated to Moussa B.H. Youdim 65th birthday
 * 2006. Nathan Shock Lecture, NIH Institute of Ageing, (Baltimore, USA).
 * 2007. A. Zigler Lecture, Technion-Faculty of Medicine, (Haifa, Israel).
 * 2007. Ron Arad Lecture, Multifunctional Drugs for Neurodegenerative Disorders, Royal Society of Medicine, (London, UK)
 * 2007 Melvin Yahr Lecture, Can We Prevent Parkinson’s disease With Neurorestorative with drugs. Mount Sinai School of Medicine, (New York, USA).
 * 2007. Hirotaro Narabayashi Lecture. 17th International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease, (Amsterdam, Holland).
 * 2007. World Federation of Neurology Award for Contribution to Parkinson’s Disease, 17th International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease, (Amsterdam, Holland).
 * 2008. Thomas Schkeler Lecture, New Therapeutic Agents for Parkinson’s Disease. Ohio State University.(Columbus, Ohio)
 * 2008. Distinguished Honorary Professor, University of Hong Hong, Hong Kong.
 * 2008-2010 Distinguished Chair Professor, PolyTechnic University of Hong Kong University, (Hong Kong, China)
 * 2008. Leir Visiting Professor Lecture, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, (New York, USA).
 * 2009. Distinguished Honorary Professor, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
 * 2009-2014. Distinguished Scientific Professor of Neurobiology, Yonsei World Central University Department of Neuroibology, (Seoul, South Korea).
 * 2009. Distinguished Honorary Professor, Materica Medica of Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, (Shanghai, China).
 * 2009. Distinguished Honorary Professor, Shanghai University Rejin Medical School, (Shanghai, China).
 * 2010 European College Neuropsychopharmacology(ECNP) Life Time Achievement Neuropsychopharmacology Prize, (Amsterdam, Netherland).
 * 2010 Elected Member of Leopoldina German Academy of Sciences (Halle, Germany).
 * 2011. EMET Prize for Brain Sciences, (Jerusalem, Israel).
 * 2011. First Theodore L Sourkes Lecture, Parkinson Disease, McGill University (Montreal, Canada).
 * 2011. Elected A Fellow of American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, USA.
 * 2012. Distinguished Honorary Professor, Doctor of Philosophy, Jinan University (GuanZhou, China).
 * 2012. Giant Pioneer of Catecholamine Research Prize, 10th International Congress of Catecholamines, (Asilomar, USA).
 * 2012. CINP (International College of Neuropsychopharmacology) Pioneering Neuropsychopharmacology Prize, (Stockholm, Sweden).
 * 2012. The Arvid Carlsson Medal, (Stockholm, Sweden).
 * 2013. Elected Honorary Member of Israel Society for Neuroscience.
 * 2022. The Israel Prize In life Sciences, (Jerusalem, Israel).
 * 2023. The Maimonides Award, Rambam Hospital, (Haifa, Israel).
 * 2024. The Tel Aviv University Aufzien Center and Israel Parkinson Association Parkinson Prize, (Tel Aviv, Israel).

Industry Involvement
Youdim served as consultant to Roche, TEVA Pharmaceuticals Ltd; Ciba Geigy, and Continental Pharmaceuticals, Brussels. He is president and CSO of Youdim Pharmaceutical. He is a discoverer of the anti-Parkinson drugs selelgiline (l-deprenyl) and developer of monoamine oxidase B inhibitor rasagiline (Azilect), which was considered to be the first disease modifying drug used for Parkinson's disease and TVP 3326, ladostigil, for Alzheimer's disease. Experts have recently questioned whether rasagiline actually has significant disease modifying properties.

Editorial Boards
On the editorial boards of 40 journals, including British Journal of Pharmacology, Journal of Neurochemistry, Journal of Neural Transmission, Experimental Neurology, International Neurochemistry, Psychopharmacology. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, Archives of Pharmacology, Frontiers in Pharmacology, European Journal of Pharmacology, Biogenic Amines, Neuropsychobiology, Neurochemical Research; Brain Research, CNS Drug Review, Future Drugs, Drugs of Today, and Neurotherapeutics.