David W. Walker, PhD
- University of California, Los Angeles, USA
“The aging process is not written in stone. It’s not inevitable how we age.”
Dr. Walker researches the molecular and cellular mechanisms of aging. His work is advancing understanding of how the aging process drives health decline and reduces quality of life, as well as how those mechanisms may become therapeutic targets to counteract the overall aging process. His lab uses the powerful genetics of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, a widely regarded model for better understanding human biology because of extensive similarities in the two.
Dr. Walker seeks to identify novel approaches to slow aging and counteract age-related diseases to prolong healthy lifespan, or healthspan. He is the recipient of numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health, including one from the NIH’s National Institute on Aging to study the role of mitochondrial homeostasis in animal aging.
A key area of Dr. Walker’s work centers on prolonging healthspan and overall lifespan by preventing or delaying loss of gut barrier function. He has identified several interventions that lead to improvements in gut barrier function with age. He is investigating ways to improve gut function through improved nutritional and/or dietary interventions.
His research for Amway focuses on studies around gut health as a driver for overall health and investigative work into the potential of key botanicals to support healthy aging.
Dr. Walker obtained his PhD in Genetics from the University of Manchester, where he also received his masters of research in molecular biology. He completed postdoctoral work at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He is a frequent contributor and co-contributor to scientific journals.
