Virginia Lee, the John H. Ware 3rd Endowed Professor in Alzheimer’s Research at the Perelman School of Medicine at The University of Pennsylania, received the 2018 Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson’s Research from the  Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF). The Pritzker Prize has been awarded annually since 2011 by MJFF to recognize researchers who make an exceptional contribution to Parkinson’s research and exhibit a commitment to mentoring the next generation of Parkinson’s scientists. Dr. Lee is the first female researcher to be selected for the Pritzker Prize. She was presented the prize at a Foundation event in New York City in November.

Dr. Lee will receive a $100,000 grant, which she will use to continue advancing Parkinson’s research breakthroughs.

Dr. Lee, a biochemist, began investigating misfolded proteins that accumulate in the brains of people with neurodegenerative disease in the 1990s. In 1997, she and her colleagues identified alpha-synuclein protein as the key component of Lewy bodies, the hallmark protein clumps found in people with Parkinson’s disease.

Dr. Lee continues to study subtypes of alpha-synuclein; this research is aimed at explaining the diversity of clinical symptoms of Parkinson’s and the relationship of Parkinson’s to diseases such as multiple system atrophy and Alzheimer’s. She also is a partner in MJFF’s flagship Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative, helping to develop and test ways to measure biomarkers in people with Parkinson’s.

The Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson’s Research was established by Karen Pritzker, daughter of Robert A. Pritzker, and her late husband, investor Michael Vlock. The prize is named in honor of the late Robert A. Pritzker, a renowned industrialist, entrepreneur and philanthropist. The award is designed by renowned artist and Parkinson’s patient Tom Shannon.