Triple Crown
The Kanakamedala triplets all graduated with honors, are headed for medical school, and—best of all—love what they do and where they’re going.
By Claire Kowalchik
Swathi, Loukya, and Gautam Kanakamedala sit in the SuperLab in Collier Hall of Science reminiscing about the earliest experiments they conducted at home when they were kids. Swathi takes her siblings back to the seed germination trials. “We wanted to see what factors—light, darkness, moisture, dryness—were necessary for germination. So we took beans and wrapped them in paper towels—some wet, some dry—and placed them in different locations in the house,” she says.
“In the closet, the fridge, in the sunlight…” interjects Gautam.
“Every morning, as soon as we’d wake up, we’d rush to see how our seeds were doing,” adds Loukya. And the siblings— triplets—break into laughter.
The seed experiment, the purple metal detector that Gautam built using the principles of magnetics, Loukya’s photosynthesis test in which she excitedly observed the release of oxygen from plants—those early projects fed a growing passion and intellect for science that led to the triplets’ honors research this past year.
Gautam, a biochemistry major, worked to locate a gene that causes seizures in Drosophila melanogaster (aka the fruit fly).
“Exploring the mechanisms of how this gene effects seizures may help us someday better understand seizures in humans and develop improved drug therapies,” he says.
Swathi, also a biochem major, studied dirhodium compounds as potential DNA binding agents for antitumor drug therapy. “Dirhodium compounds have rhodium atoms at their center, which bind with DNA,” she explains. “This binding disrupts cell growth, which makes these compounds potential chemotherapy drugs.”
Neuroscience student Loukya has been examining the neuroprotective potential of curcumin—a compound found in turmeric—in rat models of Parkinson’s disease.
“I observed motor improvements in the curcumin-administered rats, indicating that there was some protective effect,” explains Loukya. “A cellular analysis showed that the dopamine neurons, which degenerate with Parkinson’s disease, were restored. I did further research to find the mechanism behind this, and found that curcumin may be exhibiting anti-inflammatory properties to protect dopamine neurons and create the behavioral improvements I saw at the start of my study.”
Foundations in Family
The triplets’ father, Madan Kanakamedala, is an enterprise software developer at the Virginia Community College System. He grew up in India and attended the Florida Institute of Technology to study computer engineering. After graduating, Madan secured a job in the tech industry and settled in the United States with his wife, Kalpana, to raise a family.
Madan and Kalpana planted the seeds of scientific curiosity in their children, introducing them to Chem4Kids online when they were in middle school. “We enjoyed science from that day on, and it really brought the three of us together,” says Loukya.
“Because science is complex, our parents wanted to give us a good foundation in preparation for school, so that our classwork would be mostly review,” Loukya explains.
“We have a passion for learning new things, especially in science. It goes back to our curious nature, which we’ve had since we were kids.”
Education had created opportunity and a path to a good life for the elder Kanakamedalas. Madan and Kalpana wanted the same for their children. “By encouraging academics early on, our parents knew they would instill in us a sense of responsibility for our education,” says Loukya.
“While education is an important aspect in our lives, we also developed passions in various hobbies,” adds Swathi, who enjoys figure skating and horseback riding. Gautam likes snowboarding, go-kart racing, and auto detailing. (Yes, auto detailing—“It’s therapy,” he says.) Loukya rides motorcycles and plays ice hockey.
But the three of them truly enjoy their coursework, too. “We have a passion for learning new things,” says Loukya, “especially in science—we love its complexity and want to expand our knowledge. It goes back to our curious nature, which we’ve had since we were kids.”
Passions for Medicine
The triplets’ desire to pursue medicine also grew out of their childhood experience. Gautam explains that when they were 14, they volunteered at ManorCare Health Services in Bethlehem, which exposed them to patient care. They volunteered next for Lehigh Valley Hospital, followed by St. Luke’s. At Moravian University, they took advantage of opportunities to shadow doctors. “I became interested in radiology,” says Gautam, “which perhaps reflects the interest I had in experimenting with magnetics in the metal detector I made for science fair.”
Swathi’s interest in cardiology was sparked while she was in India visiting family. “Both of my grandfathers suffered heart attacks, and I was with them in the hospital when they came out of surgery,” she explains. “The shadowing I did in college exposed me to different opportunities in medicine, but I still found myself drawn to cardiology.”
A grandparent’s illness impacted Loukya, too. She watched Parkinson’s disease gradually steal function from her once vital grandmother, who was diagnosed when Loukya was 11. To learn more about the neurological disorder, she researched it online, and at age 14 she requested neuroscience books for Christmas. “I learned how complex the human body is and, more specifically, the brain,” Loukya says. “Neuroscience is a relatively new field, and contributing to it has become very important to me.”
"The shadowing I did in college exposed me to different opportunities in medicine."
This fall, the triplets, who say they have done everything together, will head to different medical schools: Gautam to Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, Pennsylvania; Swathi to Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, Virginia; and Loukya to Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“It will be a bittersweet moment for all three of us,” Swathi says. “We will definitely miss each other a lot and will continue to support one another. At the same time, we are excited to experience our own journeys.”
Journeys no doubt guided by lifelong curiosity and a love of learning that will be rich with exploration, discovery, and accomplishment.