Manabu Manandhar
Manabu Manandhar loves laboratory research, but the second-year UCSF dental student believes that he’ll love the clinic and treating patients even more.
Manandhar is one of 23 students participating in the 2016 Summer Dental Student Research Fellowship Program, which offers students the opportunity to work with the school’s top scientists and investigate topics of importance to dentistry. He researches in Sarah Knox’s lab (see main story), studying the role of parasympathetic nerves in salivary gland development.
Mandahar, however, is not a lab novice. Before coming to the School of Dentistry a year ago, he was a researcher at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, working with neuroscientists and studying fundamental mechanisms of sleep. He’s even published — co-author in 2015 of a study in the journal Neuron that identified brain cells that are critical for determining circadian rhythms.
But after working with an oral maxillofacial surgeon at the medical center and seeing the importance of oral health and patient care, Manandhar yearned for a career where he could bridge science to the clinic. He applied to dental schools, and says he’s lucky that UCSF — renowned for its research as well as its top dental school — accepted him.
“Here, I can combine two of my passions: research and dentistry,” said Manandhar. “Doing cutting edge research will challenge me to keep abreast of the latest developments, be an innovator in dentistry and even help me become a good practitioner.”
Manandhar’s journey to UCSF is remarkable. Born in Japan and raised in Nepal, he was a teacher, backpacker and even climbed Mount Everest before the fleeing violence and civil war in Nepal in 2006.
With only a few hundred dollars, he came alone to the United States, seeking an education. He settled in Texas, where he learned English and a new culture. Manandhar went to a community college before earning a scholarship to the University of North Texas. He received a fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern, where he worked as a researcher for four years.
This summer in the Knox lab, he spends most of his time peering into microscopes to learn how salivary gland nerves affect the stem cells that play a role in tissue repair and regeneration. “Coming from neuroscience research, I’m interested in how nerves work, and this lab is doing pioneering work.”
One of his experiments calls for removing or cutting off the nerve supply to see the effect on the stem cells. The observations can be long and tedious, and sometimes there is little change to see. Certainly, in one summer, there will be no eureka moment. Fundamental research often is slow, with tiny steps on a long road.
But Mandahar, who says his nature is to be curious and explorative, appreciates the process. And the experience he is getting in the Knox lab is invaluable. Occasionally, something he sees under the microscope — a “phenotype” or change in look or characteristic of a cell that he affects — excites him. But for every finding or answer, there is a new question.
“Research is about asking questions and perseverance,” he said. “Asking a right question not only directs me to where I need to head, but it makes the path more efficient.”
Career-wise, Manandhar believes he’s on the right path. He’s seen the top of the world’s highest mountain and knows the struggle. But he also knows how to enjoy the climb.
— Andy Evangelista