 C.
Ronald Kahn, B.A., M.D., M.S., D.Sc.
is President and Director of the Joslin
Diabetes Center in Boston. Dr. Kahn received
his M.D. from The University of Louisville
School of Medicine (with highest honors)
and holds honorary doctorates from University
of Louisville (Honoris Causa) (1984), Universite
de Paris Pierre et Marie Curie (1994) and
The University of Geneva (2000). He has
received over 60 awards and honors and is
the author of over 170 publications. The
Kahn lab seeks to understand the link between
metabolism and aging. Recent studies from
the lab showed that a reduction of fat mass
without caloric restriction can be associated
with increased longevity in mice, possibly
through effects on insulin signaling. Work
in the lab is also aimed at defining the
roles of each of the IRS-proteins and isoforms
of PI 3-kinase in insulin signaling and
insulin resistance, the same pathway that
regulates aging in C. elegans and Drosophila.
The Kahn lab has also found interesting
links between SIRT1-3 and the control of
metabolism and longevity. Ronald Kahn has
also been recognized for his pioneering
work in the field of diabetes, including
seminal discoveries that have defined the
molecular and cellular mechanisms of insulin
action and have yielded critical information
about insulin resistance in obesity and
diabetes. His recent work has made important
contributions to the aging field by demonstrating
that a mutation of the insulin receptor
gene in adipocytes and that the hormone
Klotho, which down-regulates insulin and
IGF-1 signaling, extends mouse lifespan.
Selected Publications:
Kurosu H, Yamamoto M, Clark JD, Pastor
JV, Nandi A, Gurnani P, McGuinness
OP, Chikuda H, Yamaguchi M, Kawaguchi
H, Shimomura I, Takayama Y, Herz J,
Kahn CR, Rosenblatt KP, Kuro-o M.
(2005) Suppression of aging in mice
by the hormone Klotho. Science.
309(5742):1829-3
Gunton JE, Kulkarni RN, Yim S, Okada
T, Hawthorne WJ, Tseng YH, Roberson
RS, Ricordi C, O'Connell PJ, Gonzalez
FJ, Kahn CR. (2005) Loss of ARNT/HIF1beta
mediates altered gene expression and
pancreatic-islet dysfunction in human
type 2 diabetes. Cell
122(3):337-49.
Bluher M, Kahn BB, Kahn CR.(2003)
Extended longevity in mice lacking
the insulin receptor in adipose tissue.
Science.
24;299(5606):572-4. |
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