Hello!
My name is Anisha Sankar, and I am a Pitt junior double majoring in Microbiology and Spanish with a certificate in Latin American Studies and a minor in Chemistry. I am grateful and excited to have been awarded the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship for Spring 2024. I was born and brought up in Washington D.C., and something unique about me is that I can speak three different languages! My CURF project this semester will focus on characterizing the postganglionic neurons that innervate the pancreas.
In spring 2024, I started working with the Horn lab at Pitt, researching the neurobiology of vagus nerve signaling through the implementation of neuromodulation devices. My experiences through this lab were my first introduction to neuroscience research, allowed me to work with animal models for the first time, and gave me the opportunity to assist in ferret surgeries- an exciting experience for a student interested in medicine. Later, in my sophomore year, I transitioned to working with the Saloman lab. Dr. Saloman’s research seeks to characterize interactions between the peripheral nervous system and immune system that regulate pancreas function. On a larger scale, this research has important ramifications: pancreatic research would help us better treat acute pancreatitis (AP), one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases in the United States. This disease is characterized by pancreatic inflammation that can worsen to cause intense swelling and blood loss, which can contribute to necrosis, infection, and organ loss. Moreover, 1 in 5 acute pancreatitis patients develops severe pancreatitis, which has a mortality rate of 25% (Yu et al., 2023).
Through my work with the Saloman lab, I have conducted a literature search of basic science research on AP from the past five years, and found relatively few publications on the subject, which is alarming given the severe effects it can have on an individual’s health. I hope that my research will help further understanding of acute pancreatitis, and I am excited to contribute my data and ideas to this field. My project will not only investigate the role of peripheral nerves in pancreatitis, but also in cancer development, so I will be able to research the role of pancreatic inflammation in both diseases.
The CURF fellowship is an amazing opportunity for me to grow as a researcher, learn a variety of lab techniques, become familiar with the publication process, and learn how to design my own experiments. Moreover, as an aspiring physician-scientist, this project will help me visualize how disease function at the microscopic level results in medical outcomes observable in pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer patients. I am grateful to my CURF mentor, Dr. Saloman, and the Pitt Honors College for the opportunity to engage in meaningful research that prepares me for a medical and scientific career.
