WHOEVER THOUGHT I’D BE…….A PHARMACOGENETICIST!!!!
By Kumkum Ramchandani


US-born Nikhil Shukla made history when he attended the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists in Toronto in November 2002. At sixteen, he was the youngest pharmacogeneticist ever to present his research on the relationship between genetics and drug metabolism and response in the human body.

“Specifically, I have been studying a particular gene in the body known as MDR1. I developed a novel real-time technique to measure hepatic (pertaining to the liver) MDR1 levels in three races: African Americans, Caucasians and Hispanics. I found that African Americans have significantly higher levels of MDR1. This suggests that perhaps some drugs may be less utilized in African Americans. However, my results mostly indicate that more research is needed in this field of study and further evidence needs to be found to paint a clearer picture,” said Nikhil, a student of White Station High School in Memphis, Tennessee.

He added, “It would be nice to do the same research on South Asians. However, at UT (University of Tennessee, where he did his research), we only have access to patients who live in the Memphis area and there are not many South Asians there. The overall goal of my research is to individualize drug therapy. I am sure research on all races will be done in the near future. After techniques become more specialized, pharmacogenetics will move into looking at genetic differences between two individuals of the same race.”

Nikhil has chosen the path of science because the process of life itself is fascinating to him. It all crystallized for him when he was hospitalized with a severe asthma attack while he was in eighth grade.

“While in the hospital, I noticed that the doctors were giving me various solutions intravenously to keep me hydrated because I could not drink anything. Those solutions were not pure water however, but a mixture of sodium chloride and water or glucose and water. I began to wonder why I was given solutions and not pure water. We all drink pure water when thirsty, so why were they not giving me the same water through the IV? After I recovered, I did some reading on the subject and it eventually turned into my eight grade science fair project – Osmotic Fragility of Erythrocyes,” Nikhil explained.

He pointed out that he has always had an inquisitive nature, an important attribute for anyone wanting to go into the field of scientific research. Plus he had the encouragement of his father who is a professor at the University of Tennessee. “My father helped me to find my mentor, Dr.Ryan Yates. Without Dr.Yates, His colleague Dr. Meibohm and their graduate students who all took the time and trouble to teach me about pharmacogenetics, I would not have been able to be present at the AAPS meeting,” he said.

Nikhil’s subjects in school are Biology and Biology Lab, English Language, US History, Pre-Calculus and Latin II. He is involved in a number of clubs in school including a regional and national math club known as Mu Alpha Theta and is a member of the West Tennessee American Regional Math League Team. He is also of a political bent of mind and is Vice President of the Junior State of America:White Station Chapter.

He has been selected to be a delegate to the Yale Model United Nations and will go to Yale in February 2003. Despite this long list of accomplishments, he feels he is a “typical White Station teenager” who likes to hang out with friends and go to movies and malls. He has been playing the violin for six years and also plays tennis, racket-ball, table tennis and badminton.

However, all his friends are “intelligent and scientifically inclined”. He says, “My school is very academically inclined and many of my friends are involved in a lot of academic oriented activities. In fact, after hearing about my achievements, one of them has started working with me in Dr.Yates’ lab!”

Nikhil’s parents are originally Indians from Tanzania, East Africa. He has a 12-year old brother, and though he was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he has lived with his family in Memphis for the last thirteen years.

Nikhil is proud of the values his desi upbringing has taught him. “Personally, I view the Hindu religion as more of a practical way of life,” he claimed. “The theology and mythology that the religion offers may or may not be true, however, the morals and principles that it offers are extremely wise and can be applied to life today. I believe that Hinduism helps me focus on my goals in life.”

His advice to aspiring scientific researchers: “If a student my age wants to do similar types of research, I feel that he/she needs, most importantly, a mentor who is willing to sit down and teach him/her the required laboratory techniques. Also, I feel a student needs to have a genuine interest in learning science and has to read, read, and read papers in the area of his/her research.”

“Young aspiring scientists should follow what they believe is right. Follow the path of science because you want to. Look at it as the path to discovering what you want to know and not as a burden. The only attributes one should have are an inquisitive mind and a desire to learn.”