Rate My Professor Rosa Rademakers

Rosa Rademakers is a full research professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Antwerp and scientific director of the VIB-UAntwerp Center for Molecular Neurology. She earned her BSc in Biology in 1997, MSc in Biochemistry in 1999, and PhD in Science in 2004, all from the University of Antwerp. Following postdoctoral studies there, she joined Mayo Clinic Jacksonville in 2005, advanced to faculty in the Department of Neuroscience in 2007, and became full professor in 2014 at age 36. In 2019, she returned to Belgium to her current leadership role at VIB-UAntwerp.

Her research centers on molecular genetics of neurodegenerative diseases, with emphasis on frontotemporal dementia (FTD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Leading international consortia, she identified progranulin (GRN) as the first major FTD causal gene, the C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion as the most common genetic cause of ALS and FTD in 2011, and TMEM106B as a key risk factor and modifier reducing disease penetrance in GRN carriers. Recent discoveries include a GOLGA8A repeat expansion linked to atypical FTLD in 2026. Employing multi-omics analyses on patient brain tissues, iPSC models, CRISPR editing, and mouse models, her lab investigates pathomechanisms, lysosomal dysfunction, proteinopathies, and immune responses to develop biomarkers and therapies. With over 400 peer-reviewed publications and 59,150 citations, her work has advanced diagnostics and treatment targets. Awards include the 2026 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, Generet Prize for Rare Diseases (1 million euros), 2016 Potamkin Prize, and Sheila Essey Award for ALS Research. She served as president of the International Society for Frontotemporal Dementias (2019-2020), is an EMBO member, and holds university research council positions.