Dr. George G. Glenner; UC San Diego Alzheimer’s Researcher

Dr. George G. Glenner, 67, a UC San Diego School of Medicine research scientist who studied Alzheimer’s disease. He is best known for his identification of the amyloid protein and his research into the molecular structure of the protein and its relation to Alzheimer’s. His 1984 work serves as the basis for current research by molecular biologists into the cause of the disease. World-renowned for his study of the amyloid protein, Glenner, ironically, had a rare disease called systemic senile amyloidosis, in which the amyloid protein blocks the blood vessels of the heart. Despite his illness, he continued his Alzheimer’s research. In 1982, he and his wife, Joy, founded the Alzheimer’s Family Center, a San Diego day-care facility for victims of the disease that has served as a model for similar centers across the country. Glenner graduated from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and began his research in 1955. From 1968 to 1980, he served as section chief at the National Institutes of Health. He joined UC San Diego in 1982. On Wednesday in San Diego of systemic senile amyloidosis.