KJ Patel

Professor KJ Patel is the Director of both the Medical Research Council (MRC) Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine (WIMM) and the MRC Molecular Haematology Unit (MHU) at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on endogenous DNA damage mechanisms in vertebrate stem cells and their impact on aging, particularly examining how metabolic aldehydes (e.g., formaldehyde) induce genotoxic stress and how these metabolites are neutralized by oxidizing enzymes and DNA repair systems.

Research Interests

• Endogenous DNA damage from metabolic aldehydes
• Stem cell function and aging
• Aldehyde detoxification pathways
• Metabolism-linked carcinogenesis
• Evolutionary implications of DNA repair systems
• Transcriptional stress responses

Publications Trends

His recent work (2022-2024) explores aldehyde metabolism in cancer complexity, diabetes, and stem cell aging, alongside novel roles for histone deacetylase and mitochondrial pathways in formaldehyde regulation. Earlier studies (2012-2020) established his foundational discoveries about alcohol-derived DNA crosslinks and the dual aldehyde clearance systems critical for preventing stem cell mutagenesis.

Scientific Awards

• Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
• Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci)

Labs/Teams: Leads the MRC WIMM and MHU, directing interdisciplinary research into metabolic genotoxicity and stem cell biology.