Jan Van Deursen is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the Mayo Clinic. He received a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands and began his independent career at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He studied the regulation of nuclear-cytoplasmic transport and ageing and developed a mouse gene knockout core facility. This work has been published in top scientific journals.
The discovery was made possible by the discovery of senescent cells, which accumulate in many tissues throughout the body. Although once thought to be harmless, these cells can contribute to ageing. Since then, he has been using his research to extend the lives of mice and attenuate the symptoms of ageing and age-related diseases. In 2011, he co-founded Unity Biotechnology; a biopharmaceutical company focused on removing senescent cells from the body. The company is currently gearing up for clinical trials of senescent cell therapies for osteoarthritis and glaucoma.
As a student, Jan van Deursen helped his father, a carpenter, on weekends and during the holidays. His father’s work included building custom windows and doors and stairs. His life was not ideal. His mother developed pulmonary fibrosis symptoms when she was 10 years old, and her condition progressed, and she died during her last year of high school. That’s why Jan van Deursen has become a mentor to dozens of young researchers and aims to become a principal investigator in the field.
Dr. van Deursen is a world-renowned expert in cellular senescence and is working to develop therapies to combat age-related diseases. Unity Biotechnology was founded by Van Deursen and is based in Rochester, Minnesota. He is married to his wife, Dr Susan, and has three children. In addition to research, Dr Van Deursen oversees Unity Biotechnology’s operations. The company is working to develop therapies to reverse human ageing.
The research was groundbreaking. When mice genetically engineered to kill senescent cells were fed a fat-rich diet for three months, they had 60 percent fewer plaques in their major arteries. Science named the research one of the top 10 breakthroughs of 2011. Ultimately, it is possible to prevent age-related diseases by banishing senescent cells from the body. However, the next step is to determine a cure for diabetes.
When Van Deursen was at Mayo Clinic, he championed diversity among his faculty. His department filled five out of six tenure-track positions with diverse candidates. He also worked with Mayo Clinic leadership to improve mentoring programs and institutional support for non-tenure-track faculty. The diversity of his research lab continued throughout his tenure. This is because he valued diversity in his lab. So he advocated for diversity in the research lab, despite his volatile reputation.
After earning a PhD from the University of Nijmegen, Jan Van Deursen applied his technologies to cancer research. His discovery of BubR1, an essential gene checkpoint protein that ensures faithful chromosome segregation, was implicated in cancer, progeria, and ageing. His discovery made Jan van Deursen a global superstar, and it will help doctors and patients cope with age-related diseases.
In 1999, Dr. van Deursen moved to the United States and accepted a position at Mayo Clinic. He was recruited by Dr Bill Crist, who was at the Mayo Clinic then. Dr Crist recruited Van Deursen and Rick Bram, now chair of the Department of Pediatrics. Eventually, they both joined the Mayo Clinic and made discoveries in the field of molecular biology.
The Mayo Clinic confirmed that Dr Jan Van Deursen had been fired after allegations of bullying. A German blogger first reported the claims he made. Lucas Brost, Jan Van Deursen’s attorney, told the Associated Press that van Deursen had been offered a five-year contract with the clinic and would have earned $27,000 a month. However, the Mayo Clinic denied the claim in early August 2020 but insisted on recruiting the scientist.
