Ajinkya Limkar, MD/PhD candidate at UW-Madison and research assistant at the UW-Madison George M. O’Brien Urology Cooperative Research Center, recently received a highly competitive F30 fellowship from the NIH.
The purpose of the Kirschstein-NRSA, dual-doctoral degree, predoctoral fellowship (F30) is to enhance the integrated research and clinical training of promising predoctoral students, who are matriculated in a combined MD/PhD or other dual-doctoral degree training program, and who intend careers as physician-scientists or other clinician-scientists. Applicants proposed an integrated research and clinical training plan and a dissertation research project in scientific health-related fields relevant to the missions of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers. The fellowship experience is expected to clearly enhance the individuals’ potential to develop into productive, independent physician-scientists or other clinician-scientists.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common cause of age-related lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men worldwide, resulting in significant morbidity, mortality, and major burden on global healthcare systems. Ajinkya’s study aims to determine the role of senescent cells in BPH/LUTS pathogenesis and evaluate the therapeutic potential of senescent cell elimination. He aims to evaluate this hypothesis using clinical human prostate tissues and mouse models for BPH/LUTS. Specifically, he will investigate whether the degree of lower urinary tract senescence correlates with dysfunction and if targeting p16-positive senescent cells can decrease prostate fibrosis and improve urinary health. Additionally, he will examine the relationship between senescent cells and prostatic fibrosis in human BPH tissues and assess the impact of pharmacologically eliminating senescent cells using a clinically translatable senolytic dasatinib and quercetin (D+Q) in aged mice. This research will provide insights into the role of cellular senescence in BPH/LUTS and explore novel therapeutic approaches to improve patient outcomes and advance the field of non-malignant urologic research. Completing this study will foster the development of crucial experimental, mentorship, communication, and clinical skills, facilitating a smooth transition to a career as an independent researcher and surgeon-scientist.
Congrats, Ajinkya.