Mikhail Shchepinov
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Mikhail S. Shchepinov (born 1965, Moscow, USSR[1]) is a biochemist known for research in bioorganic chemistry, nucleic‑acid microarray technology, and the development of isotope‑reinforced essential nutrients, including deuterated polyunsaturated fatty acids (D‑PUFAs), in development as potential therapeutics for oxidative stress related disorders. He is a co‑founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Retrotope, Inc., a biotechnology company developing drug candidates based on the use of stable isotopes to increase the resistance of biomolecules to oxidative damage.[2]
Shchepinov grew up in Chernogolovka, a scientific town north of Moscow.[3] In the late 1970s he was first exposed to autocatalytic processes, by discussing explosions with Nobel laureate Nikolay Semyonov, who had pioneered the theory of chemical chain reactions.[3] Shchepinov received an M.S. in chemistry and biotechnology from the D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia and completed a Ph.D. in bioorganic chemistry at the Shemyakin–Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry in 1994.[1]
Academic career
From 1995 to 2000, Shchepinov conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford in the laboratory of Sir Edwin Southern,[1] working on DNA chip technology, combinatorial chemistry, fluorescence methods, mass spectrometry, and surface chemistry. His work included the development of nucleic‑acid dendrimers,[4] contributing to early advances in nucleic‑acid microarray platforms.[5][6]
Research contributions
Shchepinov has reported that amino acids[7][8] and nucleic acids[9] can both be reinforced with heavy stable isotopes, with surprising protective effects.[10] The strongest protection has been observed for D‑PUFAs, even at relatively low incorporation levels.[11] Shchepinov has proposed that the chain‑reaction mechanism of PUFA oxidation amplifies the kinetic isotope effect at each propagation step, reinforcing the outcome. Since 2008, he has co‑authored studies on lipid peroxidation and isotopically reinforced lipids, with publications in journals including ACS Central Science, JACS, Nature Chemical Biology and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This work has contributed to understanding the protective effects of deuterated lipids and the role of lipid oxidation in cell‑death pathways, suggesting that lipid peroxidation may represent a common upstream factor in multiple disorders[12]
Industry roles
After leaving academia, Shchepinov held scientific and leadership positions in biotechnology companies in the United States and the United Kingdom, including Sequenom and Tridend Technologies.[1][2] His work in industry involved high‑throughput DNA analysis, chemical tools for genomics and proteomics, and mass‑spectrometry–based multiplexing methods[3][13][14]
Isotope‑reinforced therapeutics
In 2006, Shchepinov co‑founded Retrotope, Inc., to develop the use of stable isotopes to stabilize essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) against lipid peroxidation.[15] This approach has been explored as a potential strategy for slowing or preventing degenerative diseases associated with oxidative stress, inflammaging, and aging, and has been covered in scientific and general‑interest media.[16][17][18]