Keith Al-Hasani
BA (French) BSc (Hon) PhD
Senior Postdoctoral Scientist
Dr Keith Al-Hasani is a globally recognised expert in beta-cell regeneration and islet biology. He leads the beta-cell regeneration programme within Professor Paul Johnson’s group at the Oxford Human Islet Isolation Facility, based in the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences at the University of Oxford. His research is focused on developing regenerative and therapeutic strategies to cure diabetes, using human pancreatic tissue as a translational platform.
Dr Al-Hasani has made pioneering contributions to the field of islet regenerative biology, with landmark publications in Developmental Cell (2013), Cell (2017), npj Regenerative Medicine (2021), and Signal Transduction & Targeted Therapy (2022, 2024). He is internationally known for his work on adult pancreatic cell plasticity and was the first to report the reactivation of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway in an in vivo regenerative context.
His research has also led to several patents, including the use of GABA to promote beta-cell regeneration (US Patent 60/595689) and a PCT patent (2022901132) on employing EZH2 inhibitors to generate insulin-producing cells from pancreatic progenitors. In recognition of his innovative work, he was jointly awarded the JDRF International Innovation Award in 2022.
Dr Al-Hasani’s discovery of an epigenetic barrier to beta-cell regeneration in adults gained national media attention in Australia, highlighting the clinical relevance of his research. His ongoing work integrates insights from human islet biology, progenitor biology, and pancreatic cell reprogramming to inform novel approaches in regenerative medicine and diabetes therapy.
Dr Al-Hasani is also an Honorary Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Department of Cardiometabolic Health, and Honorary Senior Fellow with the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Australia.