Sudhir Perincheri, MD, PhD, is a pathologist who specializes in diagnosing different kinds of cancers (including blood cancers) and diseases, as well as kidney disorders. He regularly sees cases that involve a diagnosis of leukemia, lymphoma, lupus nephritis, prostate and testicular cancers, as well as kidney cancers. “In pathology, we diagnosis diseases, but we also think about the underlying mechanical basis—it is an intersection of clinical and basic science,” Dr. Perincheri says. “That’s why pathology is perfect for me.”
While growing up in India, Dr. Perincheri heard stories about his aunt, who became a physician in the United States. “She was a role model for me,” he says.
Dr. Perincheri appreciates the variety available through his different pathology specialties. “For example, I might work with kidney transplant patients and test to see if their body is adjusting well to the transplant,” he says. “The rejection has to be treated as quickly as possible. These are very critical, real-time issues.”
In his collaborative research work, Dr. Perincheri studies possible biomarkers of transplant rejection. Those clues may help researchers understand why rejections happen and find ways of detecting rejection early.
He also works with colleagues to develop better imaging techniques within pathology as the field gradually moves away from examining patient samples on physical glass slides. One example of such a technique—developed by Yale researchers—is a special microscopy technique that creates a digital image of a biopsy without using glass slides which can be evaluated and stored online, Dr. Perincheri says. Eventually, those online databases may allow artificial intelligence algorithms to help doctors more quickly and accurately diagnose diseases.
