Education
D.V.M., Nagpur, India
M.V.Sc., Izzatnagar, India
Ph.D., Human Nutrition, Virginia Tech University
Biography
Before joining ACNC in 2015, Dr. Wankhade was at the National Institutes for Health (NIDDK) as a postdoctoral fellow studying the role of TGF-b signaling in adipose tissue development. Outside of research, Dr. Wankhade enjoys reading, running, tennis, and listening to podcasts.
Research Interests
Dr. Wankhade is interested in the developmental origins of adipose tissue and its impact on offspring health. Adipose tissue dysfunction lies at the core of the burgeoning obesity and diabetes epidemics. However, little is known about the in-utero and early-life development of adipose tissue and its role in offspring health throughout life. He is interested in understanding the developmental origins of childhood and adult obesity, specifically the long-term consequences of maternal obesity on the offspring. Exciting recent advances have led to a renewed understanding and identification of thermogenic, anti-obesogenic ‘beige’ adipose tissue. His team is focused on understanding the developmental origin of beige, as well as classic white and brown adipose tissue depots. The current emphasis is on understanding the developmental programming of different types of fat cells in the context of maternal and infant diets. Along with traditional techniques, such as cell culture and animal models, he leverages high-throughput genomic methodologies such as RNA-seq, DNA methylation and microbial ecology analyses to answer novel questions in metabolic programming. These studies aim to gain a better mechanistic understanding of the physiological basis of fetal programming to provide novel opportunities for effective intervention.