David Weinkove

Impact

David Weinkove is a biologist of aging whose work uses the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to dissect how gut bacteria shape lifespan and health in later life. Based at Durham University, where he has worked since 2008, his laboratory made the influential discovery that inhibiting folate synthesis in the worm's Escherichia coli food source extends lifespan, not by limiting folate supply to the animal but by altering bacterial metabolism, helping to establish the microbiome as a modifiable determinant of aging. To increase throughput and reproducibility he co-invented automated systems for measuring worm healthspan and mobility, which he commercialised in 2018 through the Durham spin-out Magnitude Biosciences, where he is Chief Scientific Officer. He also serves the wider field as Chair of the British Society for Research on Ageing, following earlier service as a trustee, and communicates aging science through interviews and public talks.

Metrics

• h-index 21 · google scholar as of 2026-09-29 source ↗

Links

Research fields