The name “Jan Van Deursen” might be familiar to some, but few people are familiar with his work. The biotechnologist founded Unity Biotechnology based on his research on anti-ageing and cancer, and this company drew big investors, including Jeff Bezos. In 2018, van Deursen earned $1.49 million at the Mayo Clinic but later departed due to his volatile reputation. Last year, reports of van Deursen’s misconduct began to surface in a German blog. Since then, many people who had worked with him have come forward and started to speak out about their experiences.
In 2016, his research led to a breakthrough in treating heart disease in mice. In mice fed a fat-rich diet for three months, they developed 60 percent less plaque in a major artery. The research was published in Science and Nature. The magazine Science named the study a breakthrough, placing Dr Van Deursen’s research as the fifth-most-significant breakthrough in 2016.
Dr Van Deursen is a leading expert on cellular senescence, a process that leads to age-related diseases. He founded Unity Biotechnology, a publicly traded company with a mission to develop therapeutics to reverse human ageing. Unity’s initial focus is on ophthalmological diseases. Van Deursen currently lives in Rochester, Minnesota. His wife, Karen, has been married for more than 25 years.
In addition to cancer research, Jan Van Deursen’s research on a protein called BubR1 has been instrumental in advancing the field of cell biology. BubR1 is a crucial mitotic checkpoint protein that ensures faithful chromosome segregation. This discovery has broad implications for cancer, progeria, and ageing. Those working in these fields will find him in no time. So, if you want to learn more about Jan Van Deursen, read on!
After earning his PhD in cell biology from the University of Nijmegen, Van Deursen moved to the United States and began working at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. He then joined Mayo Clinic and established the curiosity-driven research program at the Mayo Clinic. From 1999 to 2020, he was appointed chair of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology department. His work will help us develop better treatments for age-related diseases.
After achieving success as a biochemist, Jan Van Deursen has branched out into the entrepreneurship world. His discoveries have helped connect ageing with the accumulation of senescent cells in the body. Unity Biotechnology has been founded on this research and is gearing up to begin clinical trials on osteoarthritis. In the meantime, he continues to mentor young scientists. The research of Jan Van Deursen helped Dr Childs become a successful physician-scientist.
Van Deursen was recruited to the Mayo Clinic in 1999. While there, he developed a core facility to make mouse gene knockouts. Since then, he has been studying genetic aneuploidy’s role in cancer and ageing’s molecular mechanisms. His research has received high acclaim in the field and has been published in prestigious journals. He is currently a Mayo Clinic professor.
Jan Van Deursen facilitated diversity in his research lab. As chair of the department of biochemistry at Mayo Clinic, he worked to fill five out of six tenure-track positions with diverse candidates. In addition to promoting diversity among his faculty, he championed non-tenure-track faculty at Mayo Clinic. His work improved institutional support for non-tenure-track faculty. His research lab also remained diverse throughout his tenure.
In addition to funding, Dr. van Deursen helped Dr Childs develop the skills and traits needed for success in his chosen field. He was the first author in Science magazine’s 2016 discovery of the year. Dr Childs credited her mentor, Jan Van Deursen, PhD, with helping her to achieve success in her chosen field. In this way, she has a clear pathway to becoming an independent researcher.