808: Unraveling How Mitochondria Can Be Used to Reverse Aging and Treat Age-Related Diseases - Dr. Keshav Singh

People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers

Dr. Keshav K. Singh is the Joy and Bill Harbert Endowed Chair and Professor of Genetics, Dermatology and Pathology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is also the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Mitochondrion Journal. In addition, Keshav is the founder and Chief Scientific Officer of the company Yuva Biosciences. Research in Keshav’s lab focuses on how to reverse aging and diseases like cancer that are associated with aging. Mitochondria are relevant for all of the hallmarks of aging, including things like changes in epigenetic regulation, genomic instability, and communication problems between cells. He is working to better understand the intricacies of how mitochondria work and how they can be targeted or leveraged to improve health. Outside of work, Keshav enjoys flying kites on the beach, traveling, and painting. In particular, he gets creative painting all different kinds of mitochondria, and this is a great outlet for him when experiments aren’t working in the lab. Keshav began his studies in India, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology from Rohilkhand University and his Master of Science from G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology. Next, he moved to Australia and was awarded his Ph.D. in Marine Biology from the University of Wollongong. Keshav then conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard University before joining the faculty at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He later moved to the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and served as Distinguished Professor of Oncology. Next, he joined the faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he is today. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and a member of Sigma Xi (The Scientific Research Honor Society). He has been recognized as one of the Innovation Heroes by Newsweek, and Yuva Biosciences was the recipient of the "Company of the Year - Innovation and Excellence into Mitochondrial Science" award at the Indian Icon Awards. In our interview, Keshav shares more about his life and science.