Gideon Rodan

Gideon Alfred Rodan (born June 14, 1934 in Bucharest , † January 1, 2006 in Bryn Mawr , Pennsylvania ) was an American biochemist and osteopath .

Rodan studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot , Israel .

He studied the deformation of bone cells. His most important works analyze osteoporosis and bone loss . Dr. Rodan studied the connection between osteoblasts (bone cells) and osteoclasts (calcium cells), and helped analyze and describe both types. He and his team found that there was a balance between the two types.

In the 1990s, Rodan, now director of the Department of Bone Biology and Osteoporosis at Merck Research Laboratories , helped formulate a compound, Fosamax, that inhibits osteoclasts and reduces bone fragility.

In further work Rodan investigated the function of steroids in bone metabolism and the way in which bone cells communicate with hormones . From 1970 to 1985 he taught at the University of the School of Dental Medicine in Connecticut , where he headed the Department of Oral Biology. He later moved to Merck and retired in 2003.

In 1987 Rodan became president of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research . From 2001 to 2003 he was President of the International Bone and Mineral Society . He was the editor of the book Principles of Bone Biology (1996).

Dr. Rodan died of cancer in New Year 2006. He leaves behind his 34-year-old wife Sevgi, also a biochemist at Merck; a daughter, Aylin Rodan, and a son, Elan Rhodan.