Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Assistant Professor Corina Amor Vegas has been named a recipient of the Pershing Square Foundation’s 2026 Maximizing Innovation in Neuroscience Discovery (MIND) Prize. This coveted prize is awarded annually to five to seven early-to-mid-career investigators who dare to challenge conventional thinking around neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, which affect millions worldwide.
As a MIND Prize recipient, Amor Vegas will receive $750,000 over three years. While most award winners are neuroscientists, Amor Vegas specializes in the body’s immune response. An expert in CAR T cell therapy, she has already shown how this new form of immunotherapy may be effective against a range of age-related conditions. She is now looking to develop a CAR T cell–based strategy for Alzheimer’s disease.
“CAR T cells have faced significant obstacles in their effective application to neurodegeneration,” Amor Vegas says. “The MIND Prize will allow us to pursue an innovative path to develop powerful, safe, and scalable cell therapies for Alzheimer’s disease.
“I think innovation comes from having the drive, courage and a bit of ‘recklessness’ to test that ‘crazy’ new idea, even when everyone says it will never work,” she adds. “Ninety-nine percent of the time it will fail, and that’s OK. You will still learn from it. But that one percent of success is all you need to truly make a difference.”
With support from groups like the Pershing Square Foundation, that kind of courage just might lead to the next breakthrough in Alzheimer’s disease.
Written by: Gina DiPietro, Senior Public Relations Specialist | [email protected] | 516-367-6826