RUNNER-UP
JAN VAN DEURSEN | PASSIONATE ABOUT UNDERSTANDING AND TREATING AGE-RELATED DISEASES
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OUR BREAKTHROUGH STUDY AT THE BASIS OF THE NOVEL THERAPEUTIC CONCEPT OF SENOLYSIS
IMPACT OF OUR RESEARCH
In the early 2000s, my team developed a BubR1 preclinical model for Mosaic Variegated Aneuploidy Progeria Syndrome (MVAPS), which led to the discovery that senescent cells drive aging and age-related diseases and established the novel therapeutic concept of senolysis (the selective elimination of pathological senescent cells) for the treatment of age-related diseases and the extension of healthy lifespan.
In 2011, I co-founded Unity Biotechnology (click here) with Nathaniel David, Judy Campisi, and Daohong Zhou to develop senolytic drugs that eliminate disease-causing senescent cells, which led to the identification of a potent Bcl-xL inhibitor, UBX1325, as a candidate for clinical development.
In 2023, Unity Biotechnology reported 48-week data from their PHASE 2 BEHOLD study of UBX1325 (foselutoclax), in patients with Diabetic Macular Edema (DME), the most prominent complication of diabetes and the leading cause of blindness in working-age individuals and affecting ~8 million people in the United States. This clinical trial was the first to validate the therapeutic concept of senolysis in humans. Unity is currently conducting a follow-up DME clinical trial (ASPIRE), designed as a head-to-head comparison of foselutoclax to the current standard of care aflibercept. Unity is also finalizing a PHASE 2 trial of foselutoclax in patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), called ENVISION (click here for details on all PHASE 2 trials).
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My current basic science and clinical work involves (1) The identification of molecular mechanisms by which pathological senescent cells drive age-related diseases; and (2) The development of novel therapeutics informed by these insights. My ultimate goal is to positively impact the treatment of cancers and age-related diseases with unmet clinical needs.
SCIENCEÂ BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR AWARDS
2011
RUNNER-UP
Awarded for the discovery that senescent cells cause premature aging, and the establishment of senolysis (clearance of senescent cells) as a therapeutic concept)
- See video at 11.20 min
2016
RUNNER-UP
Awarded for the demonstration that senescent cells drive aging and age-related diseases (i.e. atherosclerosis) and that their removal extends health and livespan
- See video at 2.35 min