David Gems profile

Institute of Healthy Ageing
University College London

Background

1980-1983 Undergraduate studies, School of Biological Sciences, University of Sussex, U.K. B.Sc. Biochemistry

1984-1986 Various work in Costa Rica, Nicaragua (Sandinista regime), Mexico, USA

1987-1990 Ph.D., Institute of Genetics, University of Glasgow, U.K. Aspergillus nidulans genetics. With A.J. Clutterbuck

1991-1993 Postdoctoral research assistant, Department of Biology, Imperial College, London, with Prof. Rick Maizels. Biology of infective larvae of the ascarid nematode parasite Toxocara canis

1993-1996 Postdoctoral fellow, Molecular Biology Program, University of Missouri, with Prof. Don Riddle. Genetics of aging in Caenorhabditis elegans

1997-2004 Royal Society Research Fellow, Department of Biology, University College London, U.K. Genetics of aging in C. elegans and other model organisms

2005- Reader in the Biology of Ageing, Department of Biology, UCL

Selected Publications

D. Ackerman, D. Gems. 'Insulin/IGF-1 and hypoxia signaling act in concert to regulate iron homeostasis in C. elegans.' PLoS Genetics (2012) 8: e1002498. (download pdf)

C. Burnett, S. Valentini, F. Cabreiro, M. Goss, M. Somogyvari, M.D. Piper, M. Hoddinott, G. L. Sutphin, V. Leko, J.J. McElwee, R.P. Vazquez-Manrique, A.-M. Orfila, D. Ackerman, C. Au, G. Vinti, M. Riesen, K. Howard, C. Neri, A. Bedalov, M. Kaeberlein, C. Soti, L. Partridge, D. Gems. 'Absence of effects of Sir2 over-expression on lifespan in C. elegans and Drosophila.' Nature (2011) 477: 482-485. (download pdf)

E. Schuster, J.J. McElwee, J.M. Tullet, R. Doonan, F. Matthijssens, J.S. Reece-Hoyes, I.A. Hope, J.R. Vanfleteren, J.M. Thornton, D. Gems. 'DamID in C. elegans reveals longevity-associated targets of DAF-16/FoxO.' Molecular Systems Biology (2010) 6: 399.

C. Selman, J.M.A. Tullet, D. Wieser, E. Irvine, S.J. Lingard, A.I. Choudhury, M. Claret, H. Al-Qassab, D. Carmignac, F. Ramadani, A. Woods, I.C.A. Robinson, E. Schuster, R.L. Batterham, S.C. Kozma, G. Thomas, D. Carling, K. Okkenhaug, J.M. Thornton, L. Partridge, D. Gems, D.J. Withers. 'Ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 signaling regulates mammalian lifespan.' Science (2009) 326: 140-144. (download pdf file)

R. Doonan, J.J. McElwee, F. Matthijssens, G.A. Walker, K. Houthoofd, P. Back, A. Matscheski, J.R. Vanfleteren, D. Gems. 'Against the oxidative damage theory of aging: Superoxide dismutases protect against oxidative stress but have little or no effect on lifespan in C. elegans.' Genes and Development (2008) 22: 3236-3241. (download pdf) (download supplement)

J.J. McElwee, E. Schuster, E. Blanc, M.D. Piper, J.H. Thomas, D.S. Patel, C. Selman, D.J. Withers, J.M. Thornton, L. Partridge, D. Gems. 'Evolutionarily conservation of regulated longevity assurance mechanisms.' Genome Biology (2007) 8, R132. (download pdf file)

D. Clancy, D. Gems, S.J. Leevers, S. Oldham, H. Stocker, E. Hafen, L. Harshman and L. Partridge. 'Extension of life span by loss of CHICO, a Drosophila insulin receptor substrate protein.' Science (2001) 292, 104-106. (download pdf file)

D. Gems and D.L. Riddle. 'Longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans reduced by mating but not gamete production.' Nature (1996) 379, 723-725. (download pdf file)

Further information