Moussa B. H. Youdim

Moussa B. H. Youdim (Hebrew: מוסא ב.ה. יודים, Arabic: موسى ب. ح. يوديم; born, February 28, 1940) is an Israeli neuroscientist specializing in neurochemistry and neuropharmacology. He is the discoverer of both monoamine oxidase (MAO) B inhibitors l-deprenyl (Selegiline) and rasagiline (Azilect) as anti-Parkinson drugs which possess neuroprotective activities. He is currently professor emeritus at Technion - Faculty of Medicine and President of Youdim Pharmaceuticals.

Moussa B. H. Youdim
מוסא ב.ה. יודים
Moussa B.H. Youdim
Born	(1940-02-28) February 28, 1940 (age 85) Tehran, Iran
Nationality	Israeli
Known for	Development of anti-Parkinson drugs (selegiline and rasagiline)
Awards	EMET Prize for Brain Sciences (2011) Israel Prize in Life Sciences (2022) The Maimonides Award (2023) The Tel Aviv University Aufzien Center and Israel Parkinson Association Parkinson Prize (2024)
Scientific career
Fields	Neuroscience, Neuropharmacology
Institutions	Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Youdim Pharmaceuticals

Industry involvement

Youdim served as consultant to Roche, TEVA Pharmaceuticals Ltd; Ciba Geigy, and Continental Pharmaceuticals, Brussels. He is president and CSO of Youdim Pharmaceutical. He is a discoverer of the anti-Parkinson drugs selelgiline (l-deprenyl) and developer of monoamine oxidase B inhibitor rasagiline (Azilect), which was considered to be the first disease modifying drug used for Parkinson's disease and TVP 3326, ladostigil, for Alzheimer's disease.^[1][2] Experts have recently questioned whether rasagiline actually has significant disease modifying properties.^[3]

Editorial boards

On the editorial boards of 40 journals, including British Journal of Pharmacology, Journal of Neurochemistry, Journal of Neural Transmission, Experimental Neurology, International Neurochemistry, Psychopharmacology. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, Archives of Pharmacology, Frontiers in Pharmacology, European Journal of Pharmacology, Biogenic Amines, Neuropsychobiology, Neurochemical Research; Brain Research, CNS Drug Review, Future Drugs, Drugs of Today, and Neurotherapeutics.

Publications

• Youdim, Moussa B H; Bakhle, Y S (2006). "Monoamine oxidase: isoforms and inhibitors in Parkinson's disease and depressive illness". British Journal of Pharmacology. 147 (S1): S287 – S296. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706464. ISSN 0007-1188. PMC 1760741. PMID 16402116.
• Zecca, Luigi; Youdim, Moussa B. H.; Riederer, Peter; Connor, James R.; Crichton, Robert R. (November 2004). "Iron, brain ageing and neurodegenerative disorders". Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 5 (11): 863–873. doi:10.1038/nrn1537. ISSN 1471-003X. PMID 15496864. S2CID 205500060.
• Youdim, Moussa B. H.; Edmondson, Dale; Tipton, Keith F. (April 2006). "The therapeutic potential of monoamine oxidase inhibitors". Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 7 (4): 295–309. doi:10.1038/nrn1883. ISSN 1471-003X. PMID 16552415. S2CID 1207867.
• Weinreb, Orly; Amit, Tamar; Mandel, Silvia; Kupershmidt, Lana; Youdim, Moussa B.H. (2010-09-15). "Neuroprotective Multifunctional Iron Chelators: From Redox-Sensitive Process to Novel Therapeutic Opportunities". Antioxidants & Redox Signaling. 13 (6): 919–949. doi:10.1089/ars.2009.2929. ISSN 1523-0864. PMID 20095867.