Suresh Rattan
Encyclopedia
Suresh Rattan is a biogerontologist - a researcher in the field of biology of aging, biogerontology.
In addition to his professional research work on the biology of aging, he is also very much interested and involved in the public communication of science and he likes to undertake explorations in the Indian classical music
and semi-classical music by playing Tabla
- the North Indian drums, as evident in a music CD (released in September 2008) "State of the Art: Small Town People" by Harry Jokumsen and other artists, in which he plays Tabla under his artistic name Shashi Maharaj
(GNDU), Amritsar
, India
, during his BSc and MSc studies (1973–1977), followed by MPhil studies on the regenerative capacity of Hydra, under the guidance of Professor Sivatosh Mookerjee, at the School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University
(JNU), New Delhi, India (1977–1979). Suresh Rattan earned his PhD in 1982 from the National Institute for Medical Research
, Mill Hill, London, UK, based on his research project testing the error theory of cellular aging, under the supervision of Dr.Robin Holliday
FRS, and Dr. Ian Buchanan. He also earned the degree of Doctor of Science (DSc) in 1995, from the Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Aarhus, Denmark, based on his post-PhD research work on the molecular biology of human cellular aging. He is also the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences for his "...fruitful research and training in the field of biology of ageing, as well as his outstanding contribution to dissemination of scientific knowledge in basic gerontology...". The British Society for Research on Ageing (BSRA) has awarded their prestigious Lord Cohen Medal
to Suresh Rattan for his continuing contributions to gerontology. He was unanimously elected as the President of the Biological Section of the European Region of the Intrernational Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG-ER)for the period 2011-2015.
Suresh Rattan has published over 200 research and review articles
and 12 books on the biology of aging, including those for school children and general public. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Biogerontology, a leading peer review journal in the field of aging. His name has been included in Marquis Who's Who in the World
(from 1993); Marquis Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare (from 1998); and International Directory of Distinguished Leadership (from 1998). He was a member of the World Economic Forum
's Global Agenda Council on Gerontology (2008-2009).
is the formulation of the concept of virtual gerontogenes http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7781932?ordinalpos=7&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum regarding the nature of genes involved in aging that real gerontogenes do not exist. Additionally, in the area of aging modulation, Suresh Rattan is credited with the sole inventorship for discovering the anti-aging effects of
kinetin
and zeatin
in human skin cells; and these compounds are being used in several skin-care cosmetics
throughout the world, for example Valeant products kinerase.
His areas of expertise include aging, anti-aging and healthy aging of human cells, specially fibroblasts, keratinocytes, osteoblasts, and bone marrow stem cells. His current research focuses on the beneficial effects of mild stress, Hormesis
, and discovering hormetins (a new category of natural and synthetic compounds which bring about their beneficial effects through hormesis) for slowing down aging and improving the quality of life in old age. The first skincare product to come out of the theory of hormesis is the Vaxin for Youth from Givenchy
In addition to his professional research work on the biology of aging, he is also very much interested and involved in the public communication of science and he likes to undertake explorations in the Indian classical music
Indian classical music
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
and semi-classical music by playing Tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
- the North Indian drums, as evident in a music CD (released in September 2008) "State of the Art: Small Town People" by Harry Jokumsen and other artists, in which he plays Tabla under his artistic name Shashi Maharaj
Academic background
Suresh Rattan heads the Laboratory of Cellular Ageing of the Department of Molecular Biology at the Aarhus University in Denmark. He was introduced to the field of aging by Professor Suraj P. Sharma at the Guru Nanak Dev UniversityGuru Nanak Dev University
Guru Nanak Dev University was established at Amritsar, India on November 24, 1969 to commemorate Guru Nanak Dev's birth quincentenary celebrations. Guru Nanak Dev University campus is spread over 500 acres near village of Kot Khalsa, nearly 8 km west of the Amritsar City on Amritsar - Lahore...
(GNDU), Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, during his BSc and MSc studies (1973–1977), followed by MPhil studies on the regenerative capacity of Hydra, under the guidance of Professor Sivatosh Mookerjee, at the School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Jawaharlal Nehru University, also known as JNU, is located in New Delhi, the capital of India. It is mainly a research oriented postgraduate University with approximately 5,500 students and a faculty strength of around 550.-History:...
(JNU), New Delhi, India (1977–1979). Suresh Rattan earned his PhD in 1982 from the National Institute for Medical Research
National Institute for Medical Research
The National Institute for Medical Research, commonly abbreviated to NIMR, is a medical research facility situated in Mill Hill, on the outskirts of London, England. It is mainly funded by the Medical Research Council, or MRC, and is its largest establishment and the only one designated as an...
, Mill Hill, London, UK, based on his research project testing the error theory of cellular aging, under the supervision of Dr.Robin Holliday
Robin Holliday
Robin Holliday PhD, FRS, FAA is a British molecular biologist. Heproposed a mechanism of DNA-strand exchange that attempted to explain gene-conversion events that occur during meiosis in fungi. That model first proposed in 1964 and is now known as the Holliday Junction.-Education and...
FRS, and Dr. Ian Buchanan. He also earned the degree of Doctor of Science (DSc) in 1995, from the Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Aarhus, Denmark, based on his post-PhD research work on the molecular biology of human cellular aging. He is also the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences for his "...fruitful research and training in the field of biology of ageing, as well as his outstanding contribution to dissemination of scientific knowledge in basic gerontology...". The British Society for Research on Ageing (BSRA) has awarded their prestigious Lord Cohen Medal
Lord Cohen Medal
The Lord Cohen Medal is a British medical award honouring individuals who "have made a considerable contribution to ageing research, either through original discoveries or in the promotion of the subject of gerontology in its broadest aspect"...
to Suresh Rattan for his continuing contributions to gerontology. He was unanimously elected as the President of the Biological Section of the European Region of the Intrernational Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG-ER)for the period 2011-2015.
Suresh Rattan has published over 200 research and review articles
and 12 books on the biology of aging, including those for school children and general public. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Biogerontology, a leading peer review journal in the field of aging. His name has been included in Marquis Who's Who in the World
Marquis Who's Who
Marquis Who's Who, a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc., is the American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies...
(from 1993); Marquis Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare (from 1998); and International Directory of Distinguished Leadership (from 1998). He was a member of the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
's Global Agenda Council on Gerontology (2008-2009).
Important Contributions
Suresh Rattan's major intellectual contribution in gerontologyGerontology
Gerontology is the study of the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging...
is the formulation of the concept of virtual gerontogenes http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7781932?ordinalpos=7&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum regarding the nature of genes involved in aging that real gerontogenes do not exist. Additionally, in the area of aging modulation, Suresh Rattan is credited with the sole inventorship for discovering the anti-aging effects of
kinetin
Kinetin
Kinetin is a kind of cytokinin, a class of plant hormone that promotes cell division. Kinetin was originally isolated by Miller and Skoog et al. as a compound from autoclaved herring sperm DNA that had cell division-promoting activity. It was given the name kinetin because of its ability to induce...
and zeatin
Zeatin
Zeatin is a plant hormone derived from the purine adenine. It is a member of the plant growth hormone family known as cytokinins. Zeatin was first discovered in immature corn kernels from the genus Zea...
in human skin cells; and these compounds are being used in several skin-care cosmetics
Cosmetics
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
throughout the world, for example Valeant products kinerase.
His areas of expertise include aging, anti-aging and healthy aging of human cells, specially fibroblasts, keratinocytes, osteoblasts, and bone marrow stem cells. His current research focuses on the beneficial effects of mild stress, Hormesis
Hormesis
Hormesis is the term for generally favorable biological responses to low exposures to toxins and other stressors. A pollutant or toxin showing hormesis thus has the opposite effect in small doses as in large doses...
, and discovering hormetins (a new category of natural and synthetic compounds which bring about their beneficial effects through hormesis) for slowing down aging and improving the quality of life in old age. The first skincare product to come out of the theory of hormesis is the Vaxin for Youth from Givenchy
Books
Suresh Rattan has written/edited/co-edited the following books on aging in English, Punjabi and Danish:In English
- Calorie Restriction, Aging, and Longevity, 2010 (ISBN 978-90-481-8555-9)
- Mild Stress and Healthy Aging: Applying hormesis in aging research and interventions, 2008 (ISBN 978-1-4020-6868-3)
- Healthy Aging and Longevity, 2007 (ISBN 978-1-57331-680-4)
- Biogerontology: Mechanisms and Interventions, 2007 (ISBN 978-1-57331-679-8)
- Prevention and Treatment of Age-related Diseases (ISBN 978-1-4020-4884-5)
- Understanding and Modulating Aging, 2006 (ISBN 978-1-57331-599-9)
- Aging Interventions and Therapies, 2005 (ISBN 981-256-084-X)
- Biological Aging and Its Modulation, 2003 (ISBN 1-4020-1369-8)
- Molecular Gerontology: Research Status and Strategies, 1996 (ISBN 0-306-45491-2)
- Where's Baba Gone?, 1999, 2001 (ISBN 81-87510-06-4)- a popular science-in-fiction book for children., also published in Punjabi in Gurmukhi script, and in Polish languages.
In Punjabi
- ਬਾਬਾ ਕਿੱਥੇ ਗਏ, 1997, 2001 (ISBN 81-87510-05-6)- (Where's Baba Gone?; also in Polish as Dokad Odchodzisz?, 2009; (ISBN 978-83-928015-1-1)
- ਧਰਮ, ਮਨੁਖਤਾ ਤੇ ਵਿਗਿਆਨ, 2003 (Religion, Humanity, and Science) - a collection of essays.
In Danish
- E=GMC2 - formlen for evig ungdom (ISBN 87-7417-685-4)(E=GMC2 - The Formula for Eternal Youth)