Krishna Anapindi is a Ph.D. student in analytical neuroscience, who works in the Sweedler Research Group with Professor Jonathan Sweedler. He also collaborates with Professor Marni Boppart in the Molecular Muscle Physiology Lab.

Hometown: Hyderabad, India

Krishna Anapindi in his lab.

What kind of research are you working on?

One of the major goals of my Ph.D. is to develop analytical tools and workflows and use them to probe into the mechanistic aspects of various neuropathological disorders. My primary focus has been on trying to understand chronic pain-related conditions. Our group has recently implemented these analytical workflows and made a breakthrough discovery of establishing a mechanistic link between migraine pain and opioid overuse.

Why is this important and why do you find it interesting?

Pain is an evolutionary necessity that warns about underlying tissue damage in an animal. A better understanding of the pain mechanism will lead us to develop superior therapeutics that do not have undesired side effects such as dependence and tolerance. The fact that we use state-of-the-art analytical tools to probe at the cellular level and understand pain mechanisms fascinates me.

How has your affiliation with the Beckman Institute helped you?

Beckman Institute and its cutting-edge research facilities have always played an integral role in my research. I've also been fortunate to receive the Beckman Student Travel Grant to attend training that helped further hone my research skills.

What do you like to do outside of the classroom or lab?

Outside of the lab, I like cooking, traveling, and swimming. I also organize stress-reduction workshops for students on campus in my free time.

What is your favorite restaurant in the Champaign-Urbana area?

Golden Harbor