Krishnamurthy Janakiraman, Ph.D., a research associate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center received an American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) and General Electric (GE) Healthcare Junior Investigator Award for Excellence in Biomarker Research at the AFAR scientific conference, “Seeking Biomarkers of Aging and Diseases of Aging.”
The award includes $1,500 for Janakiraman’s research. Janakiraman is a research associate in the laboratory of Dr. Ned Sharpless, assistant professor of medicine and a Lineberger member.
Janakiraman’s research focuses on two molecules that act as tumor suppressors. The molecules, called p16 INK4a and Arf, contribute to aging by preventing cells from performing routine maintenance, and thus have the ability to suppress cancerous tumors. Studying the molecules can help scientists identify signs of aging and understand how tissue aging is regulated.
Lineberger Cancer Center contact: Dianne Shaw, (919) 966-7834 or dgs@med.unc.edu