Suresh Rattan is a biogerontologist – a researcher in the field of biology of ageing, biogerontology. In addition to his professional research work on the biology of ageing, 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 from music CDs "State of the Art: Small Town People" by Harry Jokumsen and other artists, and "The Fall and the Rise of a Woman" by Pearl in which he plays Tabla under his artistic name Shashi Maharaj.
Academic background
Suresh Rattan has been heading, since its inception in 1984, the Laboratory of Cellular Ageing at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at the Aarhus University in Denmark. He was introduced to the field of ageing by Professor Suraj P. Sharma at the Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India, during his BSc and MSc studies, 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, New Delhi, India. 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 ageing, under the supervision of Dr.Robin Holliday FRS, and Dr. Ian Buchanan. He also earned the degree of Doctor of Science 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 ageing. He is also the recipient of an 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...". He has been awarded a Visiting Professorship at the Faculty of Science, . The British Society for Research on Ageing has awarded their prestigious Lord Cohen Medal to Suresh Rattan for his continuing contributions to gerontology. He was unanimously elected as the President/Chair of the Biological Section of the European Region of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics for the period 2011–2015; and again for the period 2015 to 2019. He was also given the Outstanding Career Achievement Award - 2017, by the International Dose Response Society, USA Suresh Rattan has published over 230 research and review articles and 14 books on the biology of ageing, including those for school children and general public. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Biogerontology, a leading peer reviewed journal in the field of ageing. His name has been included in Marquis Who's Who in the World ; Marquis Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare ; and International Directory of Distinguished Leadership. He was a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Gerontology.
Important contributions
Suresh Rattan's major intellectual contribution in gerontology is the formulation of the concepts of essential lifespan and virtual gerontogenes regarding the nature of genes involved in ageing that real gerontogenes do not exist. Additionally, in the area of ageing modulation, Suresh Rattan is credited with the sole inventorship for discovering the anti-ageing 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 product Kinerase. His areas of expertise include ageing, anti-ageing and healthy ageing 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 for slowing down ageing and improving the quality of life in old age. The first skincare product to come out of the theory of hormesis is the . He has also put forward the terms for the science and study of hormesis, and "hormetin" for any condition that can bring about hormesis "".
Books
Suresh Rattan has written/edited/co-edited the following books on ageing in English, Punjabi and Danish:
In English
The Science of Hormesis in Health and Longevity, Academic Press UK; 2019
