Sean Curran (scientist)
{{Third-party|date=January 2023}}
Sean Curran is an American gerontologist who is Professor of Gerontology and Vice Dean at the USC Davis School of Gerontology with joint appointments in Molecular and Computational Biology (USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences). He also serves as the Dean of Faculty and Research. His expertise is the molecular genetics of healthspan and longevity{{cite web|title=Sean Curran Faculty Profile|url=http://www.usc.edu/dept/gero/faculty/Curran/|publisher=USC Davis School of Gerontology|access-date=6 April 2016}} with an emphasis on biology, genetics, nutrition, and diets.
Education
Curran earned his B.S. from UCLA in 1999, his Ph.D. from UCLA in 2004 and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital from 2004-2010.{{cite web|title=CCIB: Ruvkun Lab|url=http://ccib.mgh.harvard.edu/ruvkunlab-people.htm|access-date=20 March 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318231233/http://ccib.mgh.harvard.edu/ruvkunlab-people.htm|archive-date=18 March 2012}}
Research
Curran and his co-author Gary Ruvkun discovered approximately 60 highly conserved genes that are essential for development but can significantly increase lifespan when inactivated in adulthood.{{cite news|last=Wade|first=Nicholas|title=In Worms, Genetic Clues to Extending Longevity|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/09/science/09mortal.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=20 March 2012|date=9 June 2009}}{{cite news|last=Keim|first=Brandon|title=The Secret to Roundworm Longevity: Sex Cells|url=https://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/06/germlineimmortality/|publisher=Wired|access-date=21 March 2012|date=8 June 2009}}
Curran’s research group has established the existence of gene-diet pairs that predict survival and aging success. The function of these genes is essential on some diets but dispensable on others.{{Cite journal |last=Pang |first=Shanshan |last2=Curran |first2=Sean P. |date=2014-02-04 |title=Adaptive capacity to bacterial diet modulates aging in C. elegans |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24440036/ |journal=Cell Metabolism |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=221–231 |doi=10.1016/j.cmet.2013.12.005 |issn=1932-7420 |pmc=3979424 |pmid=24440036}}{{Cite journal |last=Pang |first=Shanshan |last2=Lynn |first2=Dana A. |last3=Lo |first3=Jacqueline Y. |last4=Paek |first4=Jennifer |last5=Curran |first5=Sean P. |date=2014-10-06 |title=SKN-1 and Nrf2 couples proline catabolism with lipid metabolism during nutrient deprivation |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25284427/ |journal=Nature Communications |volume=5 |pages=5048 |doi=10.1038/ncomms6048 |issn=2041-1723 |pmc=4205844 |pmid=25284427}}{{Cite journal |last=Yen |first=Chia An |last2=Curran |first2=Sean P. |date=2016-12-15 |title=Gene-diet interactions and aging in C. elegans |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26924670/ |journal=Experimental Gerontology |volume=86 |pages=106–112 |doi=10.1016/j.exger.2016.02.012 |issn=1873-6815 |pmc=5001925 |pmid=26924670}} There are potentially hundreds, if not thousands of these gene-diet pairs, which when combined, may explain the variance in aging rates across individuals.
Awards
- 2014 Nathan Shock Award – Gerontological Society of America {{Cite web |title=Geron > Membership > Member Center > Awards > Award Info |url=https://www.geron.org/Membership/Member-Center/Awards/Award-Info/awardnum/60 |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=www.geron.org}}
- 2015 Ewald Busse Award – Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development {{Cite web |title=Ewald W. Busse International Gerontology Research Awards {{!}} Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development |url=https://agingcenter.duke.edu/busse |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=agingcenter.duke.edu}}
- 2020 Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star Award in Aging Research, American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR){{Cite web |title=Vincent Cristofalo Award |url=https://www.afar.org/vincent-cristofalo-award |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=American Federation for Aging Research |language=en-US}}
Selected publications
- {{cite journal | last1 = Pang | first1 = S | last2 = Curran | first2 = SP | date = Feb 2014 | title = Adaptive capacity to bacterial diet modulates aging in C. elegans | journal = Cell Metab | volume = 19 | issue = 2| pages = 221–31 | doi = 10.1016/j.cmet.2013.12.005 | pmid = 24440036 | pmc = 3979424 }}
- {{cite journal | last1 = Curran | first1 = SP | last2 = Wu | first2 = X | last3 = Riedel | first3 = C | last4 = Ruvkun | first4 = G | date = Jun 2009 | title = A soma-to-germline transformation in long-lived Caenorhabditis elegans mutants | journal = Nature | volume = 459 | issue = 7250| pages = 1079–84 | doi=10.1038/nature08106 | pmid=19506556 | pmc=2716045| bibcode = 2009Natur.459.1079C }}
- {{cite journal | last1 = Curran | first1 = SP | last2 = Ruvkun | first2 = G | year = 2007 | title = Lifespan regulation by evolutionarily conserved genes essential for viability | journal = PLOS Genet | volume = 3 | issue = 4| page = e56 | doi=10.1371/journal.pgen.0030056.eor| pmid = 17411345 | pmc = 1847696 | doi-access = free }}
References
{{reflist}}
- Pang, S., et al., SKN-1 and Nrf2 couples proline catabolism with lipid metabolism during nutrient deprivation. Nat Commun, 2014. 5: p. 5048.
- https://www.geron.org/press-room/press-releases/2014-press-releases/371-curran-to-receive-gsa-s-2014-nathan-shock-new-investigator-award
- https://www.geron.org/membership/awards/awardees?showall=1
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Category:American gerontologists
Category:University of Southern California faculty