Kelvin J. A. Davies, Ph.D., D.Sc.
James E. Birren Chair in Gerontology
Vice Dean, Davis School of Gerontology (Dean of Faculty & Dean of Research) and Director, Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center
Research
Regulation of gene expression in oxidative stress; degradation of oxidatively damaged proteins by the Proteasome and the mitochondrial Lon protease; adaptive responses to oxidative stress; apoptosis, necrosis, and mitoptosis in oxidative stress; role of oxidative stress, and stress resistance, in the aging process.
Overview
Kelvin J. A. Davies, Ph.D., D.Sc. is the James E. Birren Chair of Gerontology. Professor Davies was born and raised in London, England and is a dual citizen of Great Britain and the U.S.A. Educated at London University, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of California at Berkeley, he was previously a faculty member at Harvard University and Harvard Medical School. Before moving to USC’s Andrus Gerontology Center in 1996, Professor Davies was Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at the Albany Medical College, where he was also professor of Molecular Medicine.
Deeply involved in research into oxidative stress and free radicals, Professor Davies is the (founding) Editor-in-Chief of the premier scientific journal in the field, Free Radical Biology & Medicine. Professor Davies is a Fellow of the Society for Free Radical Biology & Medicine; a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America; a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; winner of the Harwood S. Belding award of the American Physiological Society; and holder of various medals, honorary degrees, and fellowships from several universities and foreign scientific societies. Professor Davies is past President of the Oxygen Society and the International Society for Free Radical Research. In 1996, he was named the National Parkinson Foundation Scholar. Recently he was awarded the Gold Medal of the European Society for Free Radical Research, and in 2012 Professor Davies was knighted by France.
Professor Davies’ research centers on the role of free radicals and oxidative stress in biology. In particular he is interested in genes that repair oxidatively damaged proteins, lipids, RNA, and DNA, and his laboratory has made major contributions to our understanding of this subject over the past twenty years. At the Andrus Gerontology Center, Professor Davies is focusing his research on the regulation of oxidative stress repair genes during aging. His laboratory is involved in biochemical, molecular biology, and genetic studies of both normal aging processes, and aging pathologies such as Parkinson and Alzheimer’s diseases.
During aging, and in several age-related disease processes, vital cellular proteins are damaged by free radicals produced by metabolism, chronic inflammation, radiation, smoke, and by many foods and drugs. These oxidized and non-functional proteins must be removed before they aggregate, cross-link, and become permanent cellular inclusion bodies that propagate damage.
Courses Taught
Gero 310 Physiology of Aging (4, Fa) Effects of normative aging processes on homeostatic mechanisms and how these changes relate to development of disorder and disease in later life. Lecture and discussion. Prerequisite: BISC 220L or BISC 221L.
Gero 510 Physiology of Development and Aging (4, Sp) Examination of lifespan physiology of human development, growth, and aging; major emphasis in the physiology of the later years and implications for health maintenance.
Bisc 502b Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry (4-4, FaSp) Current genetic and biochemical analysis of replication, recombination, mutagenesis, and repair. Fundamentals of transcription and regulation of gene expression. Recent applications of genetic engineering and genome analysis.
Mptx 501 Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology II (4, Sp) The second part of the two-semester course covers the general aspects of molecular pharmacology and toxicology on the basis of biochemical, molecular, biological and environmental approaches. Prerequisite: MPTX 500.
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Contact Info
E-mail: kelvin@usc.edu
Mailing Address:
University of Southern California
Davis School of Gerontology
3715 McClintock Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0191
Office Location: GER 306
Office Phone: (213) 740-8959
Lab Location: GER 312
Lab Phone: (213) 740-4207
Education
- B.Ed., Liverpool & Lancaster Universities, 1974
- B.S., University of Wisconsin, 1976
- M.S., University of Wisconsin, 1977
- C.Phil., University of California, Berkeley, 1979
- Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1981
- Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Southern California, 1981
- Harvard Medical School, University of California Irvine, 1982
Publications
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