Dr. Patrick L. McGeer was a world-renowned Canadian neuroscientist, physician, and professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia who made seminal contributions to our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases. Born on June 29, 1927, he earned his BA in Chemistry and MD from UBC before completing his PhD at Princeton University, establishing the foundation for his distinguished interdisciplinary career. Beyond his scientific achievements, McGeer was an accomplished athlete who represented Canada in basketball at the 1948 Summer Olympics and later served as a politician in the British Columbia legislature from 1962 to 1986. His multifaceted career exemplified intellectual versatility, transitioning from public service to groundbreaking neuroscience research where he co-founded the UBC Division of Neuroscience in the 1960s and served as its head for nearly two decades. Throughout his career, McGeer maintained a productive scientific partnership with his wife Edith, with whom he shared research interests and professional recognition.
McGeer pioneered the inflammatory hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease, a paradigm-shifting concept that revolutionized the field by identifying neuroinflammation as a central mechanism in the progression of this devastating condition rather than merely a secondary response. His extensive research portfolio includes over 1000 scholarly publications, making him Canada's most cited neuroscientist and establishing both he and his wife Edith among the top 100 most cited neuroscientists globally. The McGeers introduced groundbreaking concepts such as using neurotransmitter synthetic enzymes as markers for biochemical neuroanatomy and pathology, significantly advancing diagnostic approaches for neurological disorders. Their collaborative work with Nobel Laureate Sir John Eccles resulted in foundational texts that shaped neuroscience education and research methodologies for generations of scholars. This body of work laid the essential groundwork for developing novel therapeutic approaches targeting neuroinflammatory pathways in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative conditions.
In 2012, McGeer and his wife founded Aurin Biotech Inc., a company dedicated to developing safe, effective, and orally available therapeutics targeting Alzheimer's disease through inhibition of the complement system using aurintricarboxylic acid compounds. His visionary leadership extended beyond the laboratory as he held several cabinet positions in the British Columbia government, where he championed educational innovation by establishing North America's first open university and fostering the province's nascent technology industry. McGeer received numerous prestigious honors including induction as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1995, election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2002, and recognition with the Order of British Columbia in 2005. He passed away at his Vancouver home on August 29, 2022, at the age of 95, leaving behind an enduring scientific legacy that continues to guide therapeutic development for neurodegenerative diseases. The principles he established regarding neuroinflammation remain central to contemporary research efforts seeking effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease and related conditions worldwide.
