Dr. Can Senkal, Recipient of a Prestigious R01 from NIGMS and honored with the Early Career Investigator Award
Dr. Can Senkal, Assistant Professor in the Department of Cellular, Molecular, and Genetic Medicine, receives the Early Career Investigator of the Year Award from the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center at the 2025 Walter Lawrence Research Retreat.
By: Anna Kovilakath, PhD
Department of CMGM
VCU School of Medicine
Email: anna.kovilakath@vcuhealth.org
Date: October 14, 2025
Dr. Can Senkal, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, recently achieved two major milestones that underscore his scientific leadership and growing impact in the field of lipid biochemistry. On September 12, 2025, Dr. Senkal received a Notice of Award (NOA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) for his NIH R01 grant titled “C18-Ceramide as an Essential Factor in Iron-Dependent Cell Death.” One week earlier, on September 5, he was named “Early Career Investigator of the Year” by the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center at the 2025 Walter Lawrence Research Retreat.
Dr. Senkal’s newly funded research explores how bioactive lipids, particularly ceramides, regulate ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of programmed cell death that has gained increasing attention for its roles in cancer, neurodegeneration, and ischemia-reperfusion injury. His project aims to uncover how ceramide metabolism influences iron homeostasis and oxidative stress, opening new directions for therapeutic intervention in diseases where ferroptosis contributes to tissue damage.
Dr. Senkal has extensive expertise in the biochemistry and cell biology of bioactive sphingolipids and their roles in cancer pathogenesis and therapy. His research focuses on ceramide synthase enzymes and their functions in fundamental cellular processes, including mitochondrial homeostasis, the regulation of cell death pathways, and cellular stress responses, all of which underlie many human diseases.
He earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC, where he trained in the former Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He completed postdoctoral training in Biochemistry and Cancer Biology at the Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston and later served as a Research Scientist at Stony Brook University before joining VCU.
Dr. Senkal’s recognition as Massey’s Early Career Investigator of the Year reflects both his innovative research and his commitment to advancing translational science through collaboration and mentorship. His recent NIH R01 award further strengthens VCU’s leadership in cutting-edge studies of lipid metabolism and cancer biology. Together, these achievements highlight Dr. Senkal’s contributions to understanding how bioactive lipids shape cell fate and disease progression.