Dr. Bharat Bhushan Aggarwal is a distinguished molecular biologist renowned for his pioneering investigations into inflammatory pathways and their implications for human health. He currently serves as the Founding Director of an Inflammation Research Center in San Diego, California, where he continues to advance research on natural compounds and their therapeutic potential. Dr. Aggarwal received his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1977 and completed postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco with support from the Rockfeller Foundation Fellowship. He established his early career at Genentech where he contributed significantly to the discovery of TNF-alpha and TNF-beta, essential cytokines in the immune system. In 1989, he joined the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center as a Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Cytokine Research Section, positions he held until his retirement in 2015.
Dr. Aggarwal's groundbreaking research has focused on elucidating the role of inflammatory pathways mediated through TNF, NF-kappaB, STAT3, and CXCR4 in cancer and other chronic diseases. His laboratory identified more than fifty novel compounds from natural sources including spices and dietary agents that interrupt critical cell-signaling pathways involved in disease progression. He published nearly 700 papers in peer-reviewed international journals, including publications in Science, Nature, and PNAS, though a significant number were later retracted following investigations into data integrity concerns. His book Healing Spices, released in 2011, became an immediate bestseller and effectively communicated his research on natural anti-inflammatory compounds to both scientific and lay audiences. Despite controversies surrounding some of his publications, his work has stimulated important scientific discourse about the molecular mechanisms linking inflammation to chronic diseases.
Dr. Aggarwal has trained over eighty postdoctoral fellows and visiting professors from around the world, significantly contributing to the development of researchers in inflammation and cancer biology. He has received numerous prestigious awards including the 2011 James A. Duke Award for Excellence in Botanical Literature and the 2006 Outstanding Scientist Award from the AAICR. Throughout his career, he has served on editorial boards of leading journals including The Journal of Biological Chemistry and Antioxidants and Redox Signalling, helping shape scientific discourse in his field. His ongoing research continues to explore the therapeutic potential of natural compounds for managing inflammation-related chronic conditions. Through his leadership at the Inflammation Research Center, Dr. Aggarwal remains dedicated to translating molecular discoveries into practical approaches for improving human health and preventing disease.
