Dr. Mikhail S. Shchepinov
Mikhail S. Shchepinov, Ph.D. did postdoctoral research in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, UK, from 1995 to 2000, focusing on the overlap of bioorganic, combinatorial, and surface chemistries. From 2000 to 2002 (San Diego, USA), and from 2002 to 2006 (UK) he worked in the biotech industry developing chemical tools for genomics and proteomics. At Retrotope, he has focused on the use of stable isotopes as a fortification of essential nutrients to protect against diseases of aging and age-related oxidative stress. Mikhail earned his MSc in chemistry and biotechnology from the Mendeleev Institute of Chemical Technology, Moscow, USSR, and his Ph.D. in bioorganic chemistry from the Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow in 1994.
Misha is Cofounder at Retrotope. Retrotope is changing aging as we know it, so that people do not have to suffer the savages of many degenerative diseases. They are a pharmaceutical company startup that is leading the advance of a revolutionary new unified theory of cellular degeneration that can result in dramatically new approaches to therapy.
This theory is based on three groundbreaking discoveries:
- Many disparate degenerative diseases share a common weakness.
- The weakness is one type of chemical bond that makes membrane fats susceptible to oxidation damage and loss of function.
- By strengthening that bond, we are able to prevent and even reverse disease damage.
Based on this observation, Retrotope is creating a new category of drugs composed of proprietary compounds that treat degenerative diseases and improve life as we age. Its first drug, now in clinical evaluation, treats a rare neurodegenerative disease, Friederich’s ataxia, as a rapid proof of human concept, and preclinical data support use of the drug in other indications.
Misha will be a featured speaker at the Undoing Aging Conference on 2019 in Berlin, Germany. Undoing Aging 2019 is not only open to the scientific community but also welcomes all interested members of the broader rejuvenation movement. The conference will feature a student poster session showing the work of innovative undergraduate and graduate students in the field of damage repair.
Misha has authored many scientific papers including Lipidomics Reveals Dramatic Physiological Kinetic Isotope Effects during the Enzymatic Oxygenation of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Ex Vivo, Resolving the Role of Lipoxygenases in the Initiation and Execution of Ferroptosis, Editorial analysis regarding “Combating atherosclerosis with heavy PUFAs: Deuteron not proton is the first”, FINO initiates ferroptosis through GPX4 inactivation and iron oxidation, and Resolving the Role of Lipoxygenases in the Initiation and Execution of Ferroptosis. Read all the publications of Misha’s groundbreaking work.
Misha is the holder of 16 patents and patent applications at the time of this biography. Those patents include Oxidative retinal diseases, Impaired energy processing disorders and mitochondrial deficiency, Alleviating oxidative stress disorders with PUFA derivatives, and Therapies for cancer using isotopically substituted lysine. Read the complete list of his patents!
In 2009 Misha was awarded a grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. The research was in the area of Isotopic Stabilization of Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids as a New Treatment Paradigm for Parkinson’s Disease: MPTP and Paraquat Preclinical Model Feasibility Studies.
