Yves Agid has dual training as a neuropsychiatrist, which led him to set up a school of neurology at the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, and as a neurobiologist, with his main research focus being the consequences and mechanisms of cell death in neurodegenerative diseases. As a cell biologist, he has deciphered the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying various neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's syndroms, and various genetic disorders affecting the cerebellum and peripheral nerves. As a neurologist, he has contributed to deciphering the physiological organization of brain structures responsible for cognitive and movement disorders. This work has led him to propose various treatments for Parkinson's disease, as well as the surgical treatment for severe forms of Gilles de la Tourette's and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
During the last years, he has been trying to introduce the humanities into the scientific field. He is also the founder of the “Paris Brain Institute”, an international research center which has been launched in Paris in 2010. With 900 researchers, engineers and technicians and 22 000 square meters of laboratory space, the Paris Brain Institute is an innovative and ambitious model of excellence in the field of basic and clinical research in neurosciences.

 

🏆 2025 Leonardo da Vinci Award

In recognition of Prof. Yves Agid’s pioneering and lifelong contributions to brain science and medicine, including groundbreaking advances in the understanding of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and for his visionary role as founder of the Paris Brain Institute.