Biochemistry in Medicine—Honorary Special Issue Commemorating Research and Work of Professors Jan O. Aaseth and Jan Alexander

Dear Colleagues,

The year 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Professor Jan O. Aaseth’s paper in Biochemical Pharmacology (Jellum, E., Aaseth, J., and Eldjarn, L. 22(10), 1179-1188). A couple of years later, Professor Jan Alexander together with colleagues had his first paper in Journal of Chromatography, 126, 487-493. Both researchers were introduced to medical biochemistry by Professor Lorentz Eldjarn. While Dr. Aaseth initially continued his research on mercury toxicity and detoxification, Dr. Alexander continued research on metal interactions with selenium. They defended their theses at the University of Oslo in 1976 and 1983, respectively. While Aaseth completed his specialization in medical biochemistry and in internal medicine and endocrinology at Oslo University Hospital, Dr. Alexander specialized in occupational medicine at the National Institute of Occupational Health. Both researchers are approved EUROTOX-registered toxicologists. Dr. Alexander has held the leadership for Environmental medicine and Food Safety at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and was appointed as a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and later at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). He served as an expert for the WHO, as chair of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment and as vice chair of EFSA Scientific Committee. Dr. Aaseth has been head of the units of Medical Biochemistry and Endocrinology at Innlandet Hospital, and appointed as a professor at University of Tromsø, later at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences.

In 1984, Aaseth became a member of the steering group of the Committee for Geomedicine of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters; later, Jan Alexander joined the Committee. Then, in 1985, in close collaboration with colleagues in the Nordic countries, Jan O. Aaseth together with Jan Alexander founded the Nordic Trace Element Society (NTES), a scientific group that organized several international conferences, also in cooperation with the international organization ISTERH where Dr. Aaseth was a board member. Both researchers have been Guest Editors for Special Issues of several international scientific journals. Dr. Aaseth was also the president of the Norwegian Association for the Study of Obesity. Both have published more than 300 scientific papers.

Biomolecules is pleased to host a Special Issue on Biochemistry in Medicine, thereby also honoring Professors Jan O. Aaseth and Jan Alexander for their achievements within this field, which will be the focus of this issue.

Dr. Sonia Distante
Dr. Per M. Roos
Guest Editors

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• medical biochemistry
• endocrinology
• neurotoxic metals