Andrew Pieper, MD, PhD, Cultivates Science and Hope for Patients with Neurogenerative Disorders, Making Way for New and More Effective Therapies

UH Research & Education Update | Decemeber 2024

Andrew A. Pieper, MD, PhD, is on a mission to protect the brain from neurodegeneration. As a board-certified psychiatrist and neuroscientist, he combines his clinical and basic science expertise to better understand the molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders and pave the way for developing novel treatments and cures.

“Neurodegenerative diseases are marked by the gradual loss of nerve cell function throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems, often leading to serious health issues.  The challenge of neurodegeneration represents a significant public health issue,” says Dr. Pieper. “Our lab explores the mechanisms of neurodegeneration by utilizing various laboratory models. We hope our successful findings in animals will ultimately translate into effective treatments for patients.”

Dedicated Clinician-Scientist Harnesses Broad Expertise to Fight Neurodegeneration

Dr. Pieper holds the Morley-Mather Chair in Neuropsychiatry at UH and the CWRU Rebecca E. Barchas, MD, DLFAPA, University Professorship in Translational Psychiatry. He also serves as Psychiatrist at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center (VAMC), and as an Investigator in the University Hospitals Harrington Discovery Institute, where he is the Director of the Brain Health Medicines Center.

The breadth and depth of Dr. Pieper’s vast expertise fuels his vision for translating promising basic science discoveries into new, innovative therapies for treating neurodegeneration. Most recently, in animal models of chronic traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Pieper’s lab demonstrated that chronic neurodegeneration can be stopped, and normal cognitive function regained, even when disease is advanced and there has already been significant neuron loss. These findings provide a basis for continued research and the development of new treatments for patients with traumatic brain injuries, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, dementia, and other neurodegenerative conditions.

The team has also developed a small drug-like molecule that helps brain cells, especially neurons and blood-brain barrier cells, maintain normal energy levels amid the adverse conditions associated with brain diseases and injury. Their research has shown that restoring cellular energy enables brain cells to repair themselves and resume their essential functions. Dr. Pieper and his team are developing this molecule into a medicine for clinical trials, hoping it will bolster the brain’s resilience against neurodegeneration factors.  

From Small Town to Big Science, Shaped by Key Mentor

Dr. Pieper grew up in Evansville, IN and was fortunate to have teachers who encouraged his love of science from an early age. At the end of high school and the beginning of college, he worked as an ophthalmic technician, which deepened his fascination with the nervous system and showed him how science can directly benefit patients.

He majored in biology and chemistry at Earlham College, while also spending his summers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, researching progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, a severe brain disease. He then earned his MD and PhD degrees at Johns Hopkins University, where he worked in the lab of Dr. Solomon H. Snyder, a leading physician-scientist in neuroscience.

Dr. Snyder’s mentorship nurtured Dr. Pieper’s curiosity and creativity, inspiring him to ask fundamental questions about brain function and prompting him to pursue rigorous and creative ways to test those ideas. In fact, working alongside Dr. Snyder is what led Dr. Pieper to study cell signaling and eventually focus on neurodegeneration. Likewise, Dr. Snyder also modeled for him how to communicate scientific findings with clarity and enthusiasm to the broader community.

“It was the opportunity of a lifetime to work with Sol Snyder,” says Dr. Pieper. “He was so encouraging, supportive, and exciting, and the lab was always vibrant and fun.”

Pictured L to R: Dr. Pieper with lab members, Sarah Barker, Emiko Miller, Edwin Vázquez (behind Emiko), Sofia Corella, Yeojung Koh, Preethy Sridharan and Kalyani Chaubey (pink shirt).

Having such a strong mentor not only propelled Dr. Pieper’s career trajectory, it also seeded his unwavering commitment to mentoring young researchers, encouraging and supporting them, while helping them navigate challenges and succeed as the next generation of scientists. In 2023, Dr. Pieper was awarded the John S. Diekhoff Award for Graduate Mentoring at the CWRU School of Medicine, a tremendous honor and recognition of his mentorship of others.

Dr. Pieper is equally committed to building and reinforcing greater diversity, equity and inclusion in science, not only as a means of enhancing scientific capacity, but to serve as a catalyst for innovation and collaboration. “A diverse community enhances creativity and synergy, which is vital for scientific advancement,” says Dr. Pieper.

In 2022 Dr. Pieper founded and now directs the UH/CWRU American Heart Association Partners to promote Diversity in Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Program, to promote diversification of the scientific and medical community pipeline to racial, ethnic, and other underrepresented groups in the field.

Throughout all his endeavors, Dr. Pieper leans heavily into the power of team science. He considers himself fortunate to lead a vibrant lab team, comprised of students, postdocs, research scientists, and technicians, all working energetically towards their shared goal of advancing neurodegeneration research. While each team member pursues their own projects, he fosters a strong culture of collaboration and provides everyone in his lab with opportunities to develop their mentoring skills by supervising and teaching undergraduate and high school students interested in science.

“My aim is to create a supportive and invigorating environment where all participants experience the joy of scientific inquiry and discovery,” says Dr. Pieper.

He advises that young scientists and others interested in pursuing careers in science and medicine embrace lifelong learning and that they “remain steadfast in their rational, thoughtful approaches to problem-solving, guided by unbiased observations and open-minded thinking.”

In his spare time Dr. Pieper enjoys traveling, music, arts, and hiking. His wife, Connie, is a neurologist and an artist. The couple shares twin college-aged sons.