An Extraordinary Career: Dr. Jan Van Deursen
Dr. Jan Van Deursen has worked with many prominent pharmaceutical corporations. These include Bayer, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer.
Dr. Jan van Deursen spent his early career specializing in studying and creating novel cancer treatments. Taxol, a cancer medication authorized by the FDA in 1992, was partially the outcome of his study.
Unity Biotechnology was established in 2011 by anti-aging drug developer and geneticist Dr. Jan van Deursen. Van Deursen is a pioneering benefactor to the field of biomedicine, and his discoveries have irrevocably changed how cancer and other diseases are treated.
The field of cancer genetics has benefited greatly from Dr. Jan Van Deursen’s work. According to his findings, one particular protein in cells is responsible for the even distribution of chromosomes during mitosis, and it is also linked to cancer, progeria, and senescence. Dr. Van Deursen’s progress in this study area will aid the search for novel therapies for degenerative diseases of old age.
His research in the lab depends heavily on hypomorphic and heterozygous mice strains with varying levels of gene expression.
Senescent cells are found throughout the body’s organs and tissues as a person ages. These senescent, or “zombie,” cells were long assumed to be harmless; nevertheless, Jan van Deursen and his team showed that deleting senescent cells from mice dramatically extends their lifetime and delays the onset of various age-related disorders. To create effective treatments for age-related diseases such as atherosclerosis, heart or kidney failure, osteoarthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and macular degeneration, Jan van Deursen co-founded Unity Biotechnology in 2011.
In 2018, Unity Biotechnology became a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ. Since Jan van Deursen has been driven by an entrepreneur’s spirit and dedicated to finding solutions to significant unmet clinical needs among the senior population.
Famous accomplishments of Jan Van Deursen
Dr. Jan Van Deursen has done many significant things. By eliminating the p16Ink4a gene, he and others independently discovered the first mouse model of premature aging, and this finding clarified how cell cycle regulators contribute to senescence and malignancy. In addition, he played an important role in the development of the first targeted drug for leukemia.
For what reasons does Jan Van Deursen show up to work daily with such a positive attitude?
Dr. Jan Van Deursen’s passion for discovery and dedication to bettering the human condition are his primary sources of motivation. Through his studies, he hopes to find new ways to treat cancer and help the elderly.
What inspired Jan Van Deursen to create Unity Biotechnology?
Unity Biotechnology was established as a direct result of the finding that “zombie cells” hasten aging and age-related diseases in mice. Finding medications with high enough specificity to kill these cells in humans was the primary goal. Therapeutics having the potential to cure disorders associated with aging are presently being tested in clinical trials, which is very promising. Seeing that a dozen other companies are engaged in similar endeavors is encouraging. The therapeutic idea for age-related diseases has shown promise in preclinical models, and its application to humans could significantly improve the well-being of the aged.
What Jan Van Deursen advises ambitious people?
Dr. Jan Van Deursen says you shouldn’t give up if you want to start a business or be an entrepreneur. He also recommends that they involve themselves with positive, encouraging people.
Dr. Jan Van Deursen has accomplished a great deal.
Dutch-born In 1965, Dr. Jan Van Deursen landed on Earth. He earned his Ph.D. in molecular genetics from the University of Amsterdam in 1992. Dr. van Deursen looks into the molecular causes behind cell death and aging. His research has specifically looked into how changes in protein abundance can set in motion processes like cell death and tissue senescence.
This research has provided crucial information for creating anti-aging medications that focus on inhibiting the activity of these proteins. Dr. Jan van Deursen also played a key role in the foundation of Unity Biotechnology, a pharmaceutical company specializing in anti-aging treatments. The first treatment for osteoarthritis, UBX0101, is currently in human trials. Van Deursen is a family man and sports enthusiast with a wife and three kids.