Teaching Awards 2007

Kunapuli fills in the blanks in platelet research

Satya Kunapuli, above, in his laboratory, is the professor of physiology and pharmacology at the School of Medicine and co-director of the Sol Sherry Thrombosis Research Center.  He praises his colleagues for providing him with a wonderful support system, which he says is “like a family.”

(Photo by Ryan S. Brandenberg / Temple University)

Satya P. Kunapuli likes to find the missing piece. In his spare time, the professor of physiology and pharmacology at the School of Medicine likes to play bridge and sudoku — strategy games that rely on filling in the blanks in order to win.

His quest to fill in that missing piece is what drives his research in the mechanism of platelet activation, a process involved with blood clotting.

“It continues to remain a challenging problem, filling in the black boxes in our research,” Kunapuli says. “There’s so much more to be discovered in terms of risks associated with platelet activation, such as stroke and heart attack. By fully understanding the pathways that lead to platelet activation, new therapies can be developed that will decrease those risks.”

His body of work has been called influential by colleagues, and has helped advance his field significantly. As the co-director of the Sol Sherry Thrombosis Research Center, Kunapuli has authored more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals and more than 20 book chapters. Additionally, he’s been appointed to numerous study sections at the National Institutes of Health.

Because of his long list of accomplishments, Kunapuli is the 2007 winner of the Paul W. Eberman Faculty Research Award.

With his impressive list of credentials and desire to know the unknown, colleagues agree that he could have made a successful career anywhere, but he jumped at the chance to conduct his research at Temple.

In 1990, Kunapuli, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry from Andhra University and his doctorate in biochemistry from the Indian Institute of Science, both in India, came to Temple from the Astra Research Center in India as a research assistant professor. He was drawn to the Sol Sherry Thrombosis Research Center for its state-of-the-art resources, a great asset he says he didn’t have in India.

“It was much easier to move forward in my research here because the technology is more advanced. This is a competitive field, and without the best resources, it can be easy to fall behind other researchers.”

Coming to Temple also afforded Kunapuli the opportunity to collaborate with some of the leading scientists in the field, including two of his colleagues at the Sol Sherry Thrombosis Research Center – Jim Daniel, professor of pharmacology, and Barrie Ashby, professor of pharmacology and dean of graduate studies – both of whom he holds in the highest regard.

“When I started at Temple, I was given the great opportunity to work with Jim, who taught me everything I know about platelets. I also started brand-new on platelet research when I arrived, and Barrie encouraged me every step of the way.”

So while Kunapuli continues his search for that missing piece, one thing is clear: The support system here at Temple is a perfect fit. “We’re like family,” he says simply.

— Renee Cree