Ron Korstanje received his MSc in Molecular Biology from Leiden University and his Ph.D. in Genetics from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. He is director of the NIA -funded Interventions Testing Program, co-director of the Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging at JAX, and leader of the JAX Center for Aging Research.
Korstanje studies the biology of aging to understand why individuals age differently and why some remain healthy longer than others. Using genetically diverse mouse populations, he investigates the genetic and biological mechanisms that influence healthspan, resilience and response to interventions. His goal is to advance precision geroscience by identifying approaches to healthy aging that account for individual genetic differences.
He also is the co-program leader of the JAX Cancer Center and studies the intersection of aging and cancer. Aging is the greatest risk factor for many cancers, yet much of cancer research has traditionally relied on young, genetically similar models. Korstanje studies how age and genetic background influence cancer susceptibility and development, including through GAINS (Genetic and Aging Influences on Neoplastic Susceptibility), which uses naturally aged, genetically diverse mice to better understand how cancer develops in the context of aging.