Valter Longo has been appointed to the 2016 Friedrich Merz Guest Professorship at Frankfurt’s Goethe University.
Longo, USC Leonard Davis Edna M. Jones Professor of Gerontology, professor of biological sciences and director of the USC Longevity Institute, is well known for his investigation into the mechanisms of aging and stress resistance, especially in how fasting or fasting like-diets can provide protection from or improved treatment of aging-related diseases.
The Merz Guest Professorship appoints an especially well-reputed scientist from the field of pharmaceuticals or human medicine to the University of Frankfurt each year. First awarded in 1987, it is one of the oldest chairs for visiting professors at Frankfurt’s Goethe University.
“The purpose of our guest professorship is to further cutting-edge research and promote the exchange between science and business on an international level,” explains Philip Burchard, CEO of Merz. “In Valter Longo, we have appointed an acclaimed gerontologist who has done outstanding work on the subject of health in old age.”
Longo will participate in two public events as part of his guest professorship. At a panel discussion at the Frankfurter Bürger-Universität on Thursday, November 24, together with Professor Agnes Flöel, a neurologist at Berlin’s Charité teaching hospital, he will elucidate how fasting and sports can influence healthy aging. Alongside this public forum, an all-day scientific symposium will be held at the University Hospital on Wednesday, November 23 to discuss Longo’s clinical studies and the current state of research and knowledge under the heading “Cancer Metabolism: Mechanisms and Treatment Strategies”.
