Biochemistry Professor Jan Van Deursen

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Dr Jan Van Deursen is a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Mayo Clinic. He received his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Nijmegen, Netherlands, and then pursued independent research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. His research interests include the regulation of nuclear-cytoplasmic transport and the development of mouse gene knockout core facilities. His work has been published in numerous top journals.

He also has been a co-founder of Unity Biotechnology, which is developing compounds that kill senescent cells. Although he co-invented the technology, the Mayo Clinic has a financial stake in the company. The research also has the potential to help cure cancer, and it has been named one of the top 10 breakthroughs of 2011 by Science. It suggests that banishing senescent cells could extend life expectancy by years or decades.

Van Deursen is a Dutch citizen and earned his PhD in 1993. After spending two years at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, he moved to the United States and joined the Mayo Clinic in 1999. He helped establish the institution’s transgenic core facility and served as department chair for eight years. He is also a recipient of several honours and awards. This article highlights several of his accomplishments in biochemistry.

His father was a carpenter, and the family lived on the weekends. His father helped with building custom doors, windows, and staircases. Unfortunately, his childhood was not without tragedy. His mother was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis at age ten and passed away during his last year of high school. This event led to debates over whether Jan Van Deursen should continue to work or not. It has also helped shape his psyche.

The groundbreaking research of Dr Van Deursen’s team has led to revolutionary treatments for ageing. His research has resulted in mouse models that mimic human diseases. His work has helped advance cancer research, and he developed a mouse gene knockout core facility that scientists have used to study human ageing. In addition, his research has led to numerous publications in the top scientific journals. Several more groundbreaking breakthroughs await Jan Van Deursen.

Dr Van Deursen’s research has also led to the development of new drugs targeting cellular senescence, a hallmark of ageing. These drugs are being tested in clinical trials and may help patients with age-related diseases. Unity Biotechnology is fortunate to have Dr Van Deursen as part of its team of scientists. The groundbreaking work being done by Dr Van Deursen and his team will lead to a new generation of treatments for ageing.

After earning his doctorate in cell biology in the Netherlands, Dr Van Deursen came to the Mayo Clinic as a postdoctoral research fellow. He conducted childhood cancer research, establishing mouse models susceptible to chromosome abnormalities. His focus on senescent cells grew into a broader study area, including ageing in mice. In the process, he developed treatments for ageing, and many others have cited his work as a key influence.

The results of these studies were published in Nature and Science in 2016. In 2016, Science named Dr Van Deursen’s work a breakthrough, and Dr Van Deursen’s research placed fifth among 10 breakthroughs published in 2016.

The results of this research indicate that killing senescent cells can boost the average life span of mice by 20%. This increase in life span might be due to the beneficial effects of removing senescent cells. Although the process didn’t prevent tumour formation, it slowed their growth. Overall, the study has a much larger impact on lifespan than was previously thought. The research team at the Mayo Clinic is headed by Christian Sell, who has been involved in his recruitment.