Stephen Strittmatter, MD, PhD

Stephen M. Strittmatter, M.D., Ph.D., was born in St. Louis, MO and earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard College, summa cum laude. He completed M.D. and Ph.D. training at Johns Hopkins in 1986 with mentorship from Solomon H. Snyder, M.D. He then moved to Massachusetts General Hospital for a medical internship and an Adult Neurology residency. While at MGH, he worked as a Research Fellow with Mark Fishman, M.D. exploring the molecular basis of axonal guidance. He joined the faculty of Yale University in 1993. He currently holds the Vincent Coates Professorship of Neurology at Yale and is a Founding Director of the Yale Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair Interdepartmental Program.

Over 20 years, his work has contributed to defining a molecular basis for axonal guidance during development and neural repair after adult injury. Dr. Strittmatter identified the axon growth inhibitor, Nogo, as well as an axonal receptor for Nogo and MAG. He has demonstrated the role of this pathway in limiting recovery from spinal cord injury and stroke, with therapeutic implications. His laboratory is particularly interested in the interplay between endogenous plasticity and recovery from injury.

During the last 4 years, his laboratory has also explored ligand-receptor interactions in degenerative dementias. He has focused on the pathophysiological action of Amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide oligomers in Alzheimer's disease, and on the role of secreted progranulin in frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Dr. Strittmatter has identified PrPC and Sortilin as sites for Aß and Progranulin, respectively. He utilizes receptor ligand binding assays, expression cloning, electrophysiology, genetics and mouse behavior to study these pathways.

Dr. Strittmatter’s research has been recognized by the Ameritec Award, John Merck Scholar Award, Donaghue Investigator Award, McKnight Foundation Brain and Memory Disorders Award and Senator Jacob Javits Award in the Neurosciences.