Professor Marc Aurel Busche
Marc Aurel Busche is Professor of Dementia and Neurodegeneration at the University of Basel, where he directs the Memory Clinic and Old Age Psychiatry at the University Hospital of Geriatric Medicine FELIX PLATTER and leads the Brain Ageing and Neurodegeneration research group at the Department of Biomedicine. He is also a programme Leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute at University College London. His research focuses on the cellular and circuit mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders, with the aim of translating mechanistic insights into biomarkers and new therapies.
His work has helped define early neuronal circuit dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease and related tauopathies. He studied medicine in Munich, completing his MD, PhD and psychiatry training there, and carried out postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School. His work has received international recognition, including a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship and the 2026 Rainwater Prize for Innovative Early-Career Scientist, which helps to accelerate his research on bioactive tau species and their relevance for therapeutic development.
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ArticleBeyond tangles: why soluble intracellular tau should guide drug discovery
Tau tangles are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, but evidence suggests the real damage may come from rare, soluble tau species inside neurons. Targeting these hidden drivers of circuit dysfunction could be key to restoring memory and cognition.