Upstate MD/PhD student awarded prestigious NIH fellowship for muscle aging research
Upstate student Nicholas Brennan was awarded the NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA), a grant funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA). This award provides $210,000 over four years to support the research and training of MD/PhD candidates, fostering the growth of pre-doctoral students with the potential to excel as physician-scientists. Brennan’s current research is focused on the mechanism of muscle atrophy and aging.
Nicholas Brennan, Upstate MD/PhD student, was awarded the NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award to continue his research into muscle atrophy and aging.
Brennan's interest in science and medicine began in his college years. After volunteering at a hospital and later becoming an EMT, he found his passion for medicine. After graduation, he then spent two years working in a lab at the NIA, igniting his interest in research.
The intersection of medicine and research led Brennan to matriculate into the MD-PhD program at Upstate. “Through my experience as an EMT, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in medicine. My time at the NIA solidified my interest in research. It became clear to me that the MD/PhD program was the best way to integrate research and medicine.”
He found a good fit for his research interests at Upstate. Xin Jie Chen, PhD runs a lab that researches how mitochondrial damage causes cellular stress and affects cell fitness and organismal survival. Chen emphasized the significance of the fellowship, describing it as a gateway for individuals with exceptional training potential.
“This grant brings us not only money to support the research of the students but supports their training in all skills like grant writing, securing funding from various agencies, receiving feedback from reviewers, and more,” he explains.
At the NIA, Brennan delved into understanding how mitochondrial dysfunction impacts aging muscle, laying the foundation for his current research focus. His work at Upstate Medical University centers around investigating unique forms of mitochondrial stress and their correlation with muscle wasting. "I believe this grant will not only help me to further understand the mechanistic underpinnings of skeletal muscle atrophy with age, but it will allow me to further develop as a physician-scientist, which will ultimately help me treat patients.”
“We all know that there is much morbidity that accompanies aging,” says Brennan. "However, many of the mechanisms that underlie the complex aging process remain elusive. Receiving this grant will allow me to further contribute to the field of aging research. My hope is that our work will one day improve the quality of life for the aging population.”
You can read more about the NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award here -
You can also learn more about the work of the Chen lab here-