Wikipedia

Eric Verdin

Eric M. Verdin is a Belgian geroscientist, researcher, and professor who has served as President and chief executive officer of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging since 2016.[1][2][3] Verdin’s research focuses on metabolism, diet, and the different proteins and molecules that affect the aging process and its associated diseases. He has published more than 210 papers and has more than 15 patents.

Eric Verdin
Born (1957-04-27) April 27, 1957 (age 67)
Liege, Belgium
Alma materUniversity of Leige
Harvard University
Scientific career
FieldsGeroscientist
InstitutionsThe Buck Institute for Research on Aging

Life and career

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Eric M. Verdin was born in Belgium.[4] He has a BS in Medical Sciences and doctorate of medicine from the University of Liege.[4]

After graduating from university, Verdin trained at Harvard Medical School.[5] In 1997, he joined the Gladstone Institute for Virology and Immunology, where he worked for twenty years.[5][4] He ended his time there as associate director and senior investigator in the virology and immunology unit.[5][4]

He is also a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.[6] He previously held faculty positions at the National Institutes of Health and at Picower Institute for Medical Research.[5] He is on the scientific advisory board of Amazentis and previously served on the National Scientific Advisory Council of the American Federation for Aging Research.[7][5] He was a consultant to Calico, an aging-research company founded by Google.[8] He is an inventor on at least 15 published patents. [5]

Verdin recreationally races race cars and trains for mental and physical endurance in LMP, Formula Atlantic and Formula 1 cars.[9][2]

The Buck Institute for Research on Aging

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In November 2016, Verdin became president and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.[10][4] The Buck Institute is the first independent research center focused solely on aging.[2] As of 2022, it had an operating budget of $65 million a year and around 300 employees.[2] The Buck’s first human clinical trial, Buck Institute Ketone Ester (BIKE), was announced in 2023.[10]

Research focus areas

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Verdin’s research has seen him focus on:

  • Epigenetic regulation: His research career began with a focus on epigenetic regulation, and for many years he worked primarily on the biology of HIV, with a particular emphasis on transcriptional regulation and the role of chromatin[11]
  • Sirtuins: a family of proteins that influence the aging process by inhibiting histone deacetylases (HDACs) through epigenetics[12]
  • Ketone bodies: created from fatty acids by the liver and used as an energy source during periods when carbs are not available[12]
  • BHB: beta-hydroxybutyrate, the ketone body present in the highest amounts in the human body when in ketosis; butyrate is an HDAC-inhibiting molecule that could help extend lifespans[12]
  • NAD: nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), a molecule that is critical for helping mitochondria produce energy; as people age, their cells start to lose NAD[13]
  • NAD+: the oxidized form of NAD[14]

At Gladstone, Verdin researched the role of metabolism and diet in aging and on chronic diseases of aging, including Alzheimer’s. [5] His research was particularly focused on the role of caloric restriction in increased health and lifespan.[5]

His research focus at the Buck is on nutrition and how diet affects “the levels of key metabolites in the body, and how these in turn influence the immune response - especially the chronic inflammation associated with aging.”[2] A few startups have been founded based on his work, including Napa Therapeutics, BHB Therapeutics, and Selah Therapeutics.[15][2]

Selected publications

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Verdin has an h-index of 103[16] and has published more than 210 scientific papers including:[5]

  • Verdin, Eric (2015-12-04). "NAD+ in aging, metabolism, and neurodegeneration". Science. 350 (6265): 1208–1213. Bibcode:2015Sci...350.1208V. doi:10.1126/science.aac4854. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 26785480. S2CID 27313960.
  • Verdin, Eric; Ott, Melanie (2015). "50 years of protein acetylation: from gene regulation to epigenetics, metabolism and beyond". Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. 16 (4): 258–264. doi:10.1038/nrm3931. ISSN 1471-0080. PMID 25549891. S2CID 10192177.
  • Gut, Philipp; Verdin, Eric (2013-10-24). "The nexus of chromatin regulation and intermediary metabolism". Nature. 502 (7472): 489–498. Bibcode:2013Natur.502..489G. doi:10.1038/nature12752. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 24153302. S2CID 4471359.
  • Shimazu, Tadahiro; Hirschey, Matthew D.; Newman, John; He, Wenjuan; Shirakawa, Kotaro; Le Moan, Natacha; Grueter, Carrie A.; Lim, Hyungwook; Saunders, Laura R. (2013-01-11). "Suppression of Oxidative Stress by β-Hydroxybutyrate, an Endogenous Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor". Science. 339 (6116): 211–214. Bibcode:2013Sci...339..211S. doi:10.1126/science.1227166. ISSN 0036-8075. PMC 3735349. PMID 23223453.
  • Hirschey, Matthew D.; Shimazu, Tadahiro; Jing, Enxuan; Grueter, Carrie A.; Collins, Amy M.; Aouizerat, Bradley; Stančáková, Alena; Goetzman, Eric; Lam, Maggie M. (2011-10-21). "SIRT3 deficiency and mitochondrial protein hyperacetylation accelerate the development of the metabolic syndrome". Molecular Cell. 44 (2): 177–190. doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2011.07.019. ISSN 1097-4164. PMC 3563434. PMID 21856199.
  • Hirschey, Matthew D.; Shimazu, Tadahiro; Goetzman, Eric; Jing, Enxuan; Schwer, Bjoern; Lombard, David B.; Grueter, Carrie A.; Harris, Charles; Biddinger, Sudha (2010-03-04). "SIRT3 regulates mitochondrial fatty-acid oxidation by reversible enzyme deacetylation". Nature. 464 (7285): 121–125. Bibcode:2010Natur.464..121H. doi:10.1038/nature08778. ISSN 1476-4687. PMC 2841477. PMID 20203611.

References

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  1. ^ "CEO Eric Verdin Buck Institute". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "The Buck Institute, Where the Promise of Aging Research Isn't Longevity". proto.life. 2022-07-28. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  3. ^ "Buck Institute for Research on Aging names new CEO, announces $10M board donation". Retrieved 2017-03-06.
  4. ^ a b c d e "CEO Eric Verdin talks Buck Institute's new push to collaborate with pharma". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Novato's Buck gets $10M gift, names new CEO". The North Bay Business Journal. 2016-11-25. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  6. ^ "A SARS-CoV-2 protein interaction map reveals targets for drug repurposing". Nature. 583 (7816): 459–468. July 2020. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2286-9. ISSN 1476-4687. PMC 7239059.
  7. ^ "We're on the verge of changing how we will age - Dr. Verdin". Timeline Nutrition. 2023-05-25. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  8. ^ "The Buck's new CEO tackles aging". The North Bay Business Journal. 2017-01-02. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  9. ^ "Team Drivers". The Karting Collective. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  10. ^ a b "Eric Verdin on the Buck, Nutrition, and Ketosis". www.lifespan.io. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  11. ^ Dahabieh, Matthew S.; Battivelli, Emilie; Verdin, Eric (2015). "Understanding HIV latency: the road to an HIV cure". Annual Review of Medicine. 66: 407–421. doi:10.1146/annurev-med-092112-152941. ISSN 1545-326X. PMC 4381961. PMID 25587657.
  12. ^ a b c "Science Behind Metabolic Switch Ketone Ester". Juvenescence. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
  13. ^ Fan, Shelly (2020-11-24). "Another Win for Senolytics: Fighting Aging at the Cellular Level Just Got Easier". Singularity Hub. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  14. ^ "Buck Institute, Insilico Med and Juvenescence Found Napa Therapeutics to Focus on Age-Related Diseases". BioSpace. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
  15. ^ Turner, Ben (2019-10-03). "Exclusive Profile: The Buck Institute's Eric Verdin". Longevity.Technology - Latest News, Opinions, Analysis and Research. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  16. ^ "Eric Verdin – Google Scholar Citations". scholar.google.com.
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