Joachim Herz graduated from Medical School at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, in 1983. He continued training as a resident in surgery in Germany and England until he joined the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in 1985. There, he received training in Molecular Biology and conducted research work that included the identification and cloning of a novel member of the LDL receptor gene family, the LDL receptor-related protein (LRP). In 1989 Dr. Herz joined the Department of Molecular Genetics where in 1998 he attained his current position of Professor. He is the holder of the Thomas O. Hicks Family Distinguished Chair in Alzheimer1s Disease Research. His current research focuses on the role of the members of the LDL receptor gene family as signaling receptors in the brain and in the vascular wall. Recent work from his laboratory have defined roles for the LDL receptor gene family in the formation of the mammalian brain, where it regulates the migration and positioning of neurons during embryonic development, and control of vascular wall integrity, where the LRP functions in conjunction with the PDGF receptor.
