Laura Nisenbaum, PhD, is the executive director of drug development at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), where she leads a team of scientists driving the organization’s mission to transform the future of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention for Alzheimer’s and other dementias. She oversees ADDF’s three interdependent scientific pillars: therapeutics, advancing innovative, biomarker-driven strategies beyond amyloid to target novel mechanisms; biomarkers, accelerating discovery and validation to enable earlier, more precise detection and guide therapeutic and prevention efforts; and prevention, supporting precision approaches to delay or avert disease progression. In collaboration with Gates Ventures, she also directs the Diagnostics Accelerator, advancing cutting-edge tools and biomarkers to reshape dementia care. Under her leadership, ADDF leverages venture philanthropy, global collaboration, and scientific rigor to catalyze breakthroughs and drive the next era of precision medicine for Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

Dr. Nisenbaum brings more than 30 years of experience spanning biotechnology, industry, and academia. Previously, she was the senior director of Aducanumab Biomarkers and Diagnostic Pathways at Biogen and spent 20 years at Eli Lilly, where she held leadership roles in translational medicine, preclinical discovery, and early clinical development. Earlier in her career, Dr. Nisenbaum received a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Cologne, Germany. She then completed her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh and transitioned to industry after completing postdoctoral training at NIH and the University of Tennessee, and a faculty position at the University of Connecticut.

Nisenbaum has contributed to the development of more than 15 novel therapeutics, including three FDA-approved drugs.