Redox pioneer: Professor Wulf Dröge.

Dr. Wulf Dröge is recognized here as a redox pioneer because he has published as first author an article on antioxidant/redox biology that has been cited more than 2000 times and over 10 articles that have been cited more than 100 times. One of the key discoveries (1987) was the stimulatory effect of superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide on lymphocyte functions, which triggered a series of studies on the role of reactive oxygen species, glutathione, and its precursor cysteine in physiological and pathological processes. He discovered abnormally low cysteine and glutathione levels in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients and the age-related decline in the postabsorptive plasma cysteine concentration, which is believed to cause age-related oxidative stress. He developed a theoretical concept of the mechanism of aging and death, which is outlined in his books Avoiding the First Cause of Death and Challenging the Limits of the Human Lifespan.