A. V. Rama Rao | |
---|---|
Born | Alla Venkata Rama Rao 2 April 1935 |
Occupation | Chemist |
Known for | Organic synthesis |
Spouse | Hymavathy |
Children | Two sons, 1daughter |
Awards | Padma Bhushan (2016) Padma Shri (1991) K.G. Naik Gold Medal VASVIK Industrial Research Award Asiatic Society Medal CSIR Technology Award TWAS Technology Award UDCT Distinguished Alumni and Diamond Award ICT Platinum Award CSIR Business Prize Om Prakash Bhasin Award Chemical Research Society Gold Medal ISC Presidential Gold Medal Dr. Yellapragada Subba Rao Award P. C. Ray Medal Dr. Y. Nayudamma Gold Medal INSA Viswakarma Medal Ranbaxy Research Foundation Award FICCI Award |
Alla Venkata Rama Rao (born 2 April 1935) is an Indian inventor and chemist, [1] known for his pioneering research in the field of drug technology. [2] He is the founder of the A. V. Rama Rao Research Foundation, a non governmental organization promoting research and doctoral studies in chemistry and Avra Laboratories, an organization dealing in intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients, used in therapeutics. [3] [4] An elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, [2] Indian Academy of Sciences, [5] National Academy of Sciences, India, [6] and Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Rama Rao is a recipient of several awards such as TWAS Technology Award, [2] VASVIK Industrial Research Award [7] and Om Prakash Bhasin Award. [8] The Government of India awarded him Padma Shri in 1991 and Padma Bhushan in 2016. [9] [10]
Rama Rao was born in a Kapu family [11] on 2 April 1935 in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh [12] to a government employee as one of his nine children. [13] [5] As his father had to work at various places due to frequent transfers, he stayed with his grand parents at Guntur during his school days. He graduated in chemistry (BSc) from A. C. College [13] of Andhra University in 1956 and worked for one year at his alma mater as a demonstrator, [13] before moving to Mumbai to secure his post-graduate degree in Pharmaceuticals and Fine Chemicals from the UDCT of Mumbai University in 1960. This was followed by doctoral studies under the guidance of Krishnaswami Venkataraman, the first Indian director of the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), [14] to obtain a PhD in 1965. He continued his research at NCL, working there as a B Grade Scientist, till 1975 when he joined Elias James Corey, 1991 Nobel laureate in Chemistry, at Harvard University for a two-year stint at research along with the American organic chemist. [12] He returned to India in 1977 and continued his research at NCL for another eight years. [12] In 1985, he was appointed as the director of the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) (then known as Regional Research Laboratory) where he worked till 1995. [15] After his superannuation from IICT, he founded Avra Laboratories, at Hyderabad, then capital of Andhra Pradesh, for high-end contract research and manufacture of intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients for the medical industry. The company operates out of three centres in Hyderabad and one in Visakhapatanam. [3]
Rao married Hymavathy [16] during his early years at NCL and the couple has two sons, Chandra and Ramakrishna, [4] both doctorate holders in chemistry, assisting their father at Avra Laboratories. [17] The family lives in Hyderabad, attending to the businesses of Avra Laboratories and Avra Synthesis, a sister concern. [3] He serves as the Managing Director of both companies while holding the directorship of Andhra Sugars Limited, manufacturers of industrial chemicals and supplies. [18]
Rao's research, in the beginning, was focused on synthetic dyes and advanced studies on plant and insect pigments. [2] His elucidation of the structure of the lac dye as a composition of four different constituents, A, B, C and D variants of the Laccaic acid was one of his early achievements. [12] Working further on the biogenetic origin of the product, he explored other insect pigments such as kermesic acid, erythrolaccin, and ceroalbolinic acid which led to the revision of the established concepts of their origin. [12] His research led to the isolation of 100 new compounds from plants and insects. [13] Association with Corey at Harvard University shifted his focus to studies related to the synthesis of biologically active natural products and he turned his attention to antitumor antibiotics, macrolide, immunosuppressants and cyclic peptides. [2] After his return to India and resuming his career at NCL, he set up a school for synthesis of biofunctional molecules. [12] Later, he guided the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology to become one of the top schools in India and introduced private and public sector industry participation in the research projects of the institution. The laboratory he established at IICT was fully funded by the members of the industry. [12] He has mentored 109 research scholars in their doctoral studies as well as several post doctoral fellows. [2]
The contributions of Rama Rao are reported to be noteworthy in the area of organic synthesis, especially asymmetric synthesis. He is known to have developed cheaper methodology for the synthesis of anti-tumour antibiotics such as Anthracyclines, Fredericamycin-A, Cervinomycins A1 and A2, Aronorosin, and Lavendamycin. [12] He evolved a new method for the construction of the spiro[2,2]-nonane system, a constituent of Fredericamycin A, a first-time achievement in the world, and succeeded in its total synthesis. [12] He proposed alternative methodologies for the synthesis of MeBmt, a variety of amino acid present in cyclosporin-A and of FK-506k, a 23-membered macrolide with 14-asymmetric carbons, which are reported to be noteworthy achievements in the field of asymmetric synthesis. [12] His work also covered the synthesis of depsipeptides such as Jaspamide and Geodiamolides and macrolides, namely Zearalenone, Rifamycin-S, Rhizoxin and Rapamycin. [12]
Rao is the pioneer of Chiral synthesis and technology in India and is known to have synthesized compounds of high structural diversity like Coriolic acid, Dimorphicolic acid, β-Lactam antibiotics, Azamacrolides, Camptothecin, Andrimid and Chrysanthemic acid. [12] His work on K-13 has been adopted for the synthesis of Vancomycin and has helped in the synthesis of vancomycinic acid and the biphenyl segment of Vancomycin. [12] Cipla, an Indian drug manufacturer, utilised the cost-effective methodology Rao introduced in the manufacture of Azidothymidine (AZT), the first curative drug in the disease management of AIDS. His research have also helped in the synthesis of HIV inhibitors namely Betzalladines, Calanolides, Mischellamines and Abbot's protease inhibitor. [12] Cipla have acknowledged Rao's contributions in the formulations of several drugs such as Salbutamol, Vinblastine, Vincristine and Etoposide, apart from AZT. [12]
In 1995, when Rao set out to establish his own research centre, Avra Laboratories, several agencies such as Dai-ichi Karkaria, G.D. Searle, LLC and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research provided him with financial and infrastructural assistance. He undertook several research assignments under the aegis of the centre for Drug Manufacturers like G. D. Searle, Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb; [13] his successful assignment of stabilizing a molecule with anti-asthmatic properties for Cytomed, a US drug manufacturer, was one of them. [12] His early research on plants and insects has been documented in over 70 scientific papers [13] and the latter day work by way of over 190 scientific papers, totalling 260 papers, published in peer-reviewed journals. [2] Chemical Reviews, a known journal, invited him to contribute to their special issue on the synthesis of bio-functional molecules in 1995. [12] He holds 30 patents, [17] [19] [20] for chemical synthesis and isolation processes, many of which are in use with drug manufacturers in the US and India. [13] [21] [22] Besides being a member of many government policy-making bodies, he has been associated with the World Health Organization and the Ozone Cell of United Nations Environmental Programme. [2] He has also delivered many keynote addresses and Endowment lectures at various conferences. [23] [24] A. V. Rama Rao Research Foundation, the science forum he founded, promotes research, conducts doctoral courses in association with Osmania University [4] and has instituted awards, together with Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IICHe), for recognising excellence in chemical research. [25]
The Indian Academy of Sciences, Bengaluru, elected Rao as their Fellow in 1985. [5] The Indian National Science Academy and the National Academy of Sciences, India, the two other major science academies in India, followed suit, by electing him as a Fellow in 1986 [2] and 1989, [6] respectively. Subsequently, the Third World Academy of Sciences also elected him as a Fellow in 1995. [1] He received the K. G. Naik Medal in 1982 [1] and, two years later, he was awarded the 1984 VASVIK Industrial Research Award. [7] The Government of India included him in the 1991 Republic Day honours list for the civilian award of the Padma Shri. [9] He was awarded the Durga Prasad Khaitan Memorial Medal of the Asiatic Society in 1992 and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Technology Award reached him in 1993. [1]
The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) honoured him with their Technology Award in 1994, making him the first Indian chemist to receive the award. [22] [24] He received three more awards the same year, the first, UDCT Distinguished Alumni and UDCT Diamond Award, from his alma mater, Institute of Chemical Technology, [2] followed by CSIR Business Prize from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research [2] and Om Prakash Bhasin Award from Shri Om Prakash Bhasin Foundation. [8] The first decade of the 21st century saw him receiving three awards, Chemical Research Society Gold Medal in 2006, Indian Science Congress Presidential Gold Medal in 2007 and Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai Platinum Award in 2009. [1] In 2012, he was awarded the Dr. Yellapragada Subba Rao Award, by the Nellore based foundation, in the name of the late Indian biochemist. [26] He is also a recipient of P. C. Ray Medal, Dr. Y. Nayudamma Gold Medal, INSA Viswakarma Medal, Ranbaxy Research Foundation Award and FICCI Award. [12] Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research instituted a lecture series, A. V. Rama Rao Lecture Series, composed of Foundation lectures and Prize lectures, to commemorate his 70th birthday. [27] Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), in association with Avra Laboratories, has also instituted an award lecture in his honour. [28] Archive for Organic Chemistry issued a commemorative issue in 2005, to mark the 70th birth year of Rama Rao. [29]
Thirumalachari Ramasami is a former Indian Science and Technology Secretary. He assumed charge in May 2006. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Director of the Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai, India. He is a distinguished researcher and leather scientist. He was awarded India's National Civilian Honour the Padma Shri for excellence in Science and Engineering in 2001 and the Padma Bhushan in 2014. He was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, the highest award for science in India, for notable and outstanding research in Chemical Sciences in 1993.
Sourav Pal is an Indian theoretical chemist, former professor of chemistry at IIT Bombay, and former director of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata. He was a director of the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory in Pune and an adjunct professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune.
Darshan Ranganathan was an organic chemist from India who was known for her work in bio-organic chemistry, including "pioneering work in protein folding." She was also recognized for her work in "supramolecular assemblies, molecular design, chemical simulation of key biological processes, synthesis of functional hybrid peptides and synthesis of nanotubes."
Paul Ratnasamy is an Indian catalyst scientist, INSA Srinivasa Ramanujan Research Professor and a former director of National Chemical Laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). He was honored by the Government of India, in 2001, with one of the highest Indian civilian awards of Padma Shri.
Swaminathan Sivaram is an Indian polymer chemist, inventor, institution builder and a former director of the National Chemical Laboratory, Pune. He is known for his pioneering work on alkylation of tertiary alkyl halides with trialkylaluminum and olefin polymerization and holds the highest number of US patents by an Indian working outside the US. He is a fellow of several significant professional organizations. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2006, for his contributions to Indian science.
Laxmangudi Krishnamurthy Doraiswamy (1927–2012) was an Indian-American chemical engineer, author and academic, known for his contributions in developing Organic synthesis engineering as a modern science discipline. Chemical Engineering journal of McGraw Hill listed him among the 10 most distinguished chemical engineers in the world in 1988. He was the author of nine texts in chemical engineering, including Organic Synthesis Engineering, a 2001 publication which is known to have introduced the topic as a definitive scientific stream and Heterogeneous reactions: Analysis, Examples, and Reactor Design, reportedly the first comprehensive text in chemical engineering.
Sasanka Chandra Bhattacharyya was an Indian natural product chemist and the director of Bose Institute, Kolkata. He was known for his studies on structures and configurations of terpenoids and synthesis of Vetiver Oil and natural musk. He was the vice-president of the Indian National Science Academy and was an elected fellow of the academy as well as the Indian Academy of Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1962, for his contributions to chemical sciences.
Ganugapati Sree Rama Subba Rao is an Indian natural product chemist and a former chair of the department of sciences at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). He is known for his researches on dihydroaromatics obtained through Birch reduction of aromatic compounds and is an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, and the Indian Academy of Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1982, for his contributions to chemical sciences.
Jhillu Singh Yadav is an Indian organic chemist and the co-founder of the Indo-French Joint Laboratory for Sustainable Chemistry at Interfaces (JLSCI), jointly established by the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology and the University of Rennes 1. He is a former director of Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) and is known for his studies on organic syntheses of allylic and acetylenic alcohols and spiroacetals. He is an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, the Indian Academy of Sciences National Academy of Sciences, India, Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers and The World Academy of Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1991, for his contributions to chemical sciences.
Ganesh Prasad Pandey is an Indian organic chemist and scientist at the National Chemical Laboratory. He is known for his research on photo-induced single electron transfer reactions and the synthesis of natural products. He is an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy the National Academy of Sciences, India and the Indian Academy of Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1999, for his contributions to chemical sciences.
Tushar Kanti Chakraborty is an Indian organic chemist and former professor at the Indian Institute of Science. He has served as a director of the Central Drug Research Institute and as a chief scientist at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology. He is known for the discovery of novel macrocyclic systems. He is an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy National Academy of Sciences, India and the Indian Academy of Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 2002, for his contributions to chemical sciences.
Santanu Bhattacharya is an Indian chemical biologist and former professor at the Indian Institute of Science. At, present he is the Director of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Tirupati (IISER-Tirupati). He is known for his studies of unnatural amino acids, oligopeptides, designed and natural lipids, gene delivery vehicles, hydro- and organogels, molecular bioanalytic sensors, G-quadruplex DNA binding molecular therapeutics, and biologically active natural product mimics and is an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy The World Academy of Sciences and the Indian Academy of Sciences The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 2003, for his contributions to chemical sciences. He is also a recipient of the National Bioscience Award for Career Development of the Department of Biotechnology (2002) and the TWAS Prize (2010).
Subramania Ranganathan (1934–2016), popularly known as Ranga, was an Indian bioorganic chemist and professor and head of the department of chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He was known for his studies on synthetic and mechanistic organic chemistry and was an elected fellow Indian National Science Academy, National Academy of Sciences, India and the Indian Academy of Sciences The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1977, for his contributions to chemical sciences.
Dumbala Srinivasa Reddy is currently Director CSIR-IICT Indian Institute of Chemical Technology Hyderabad India, he has additional charge of CSIR-IIIM CSIR-Institute of Integrative Medicine at Jammu and CSIR-CDRI CSIR-Drug Research Institute at Lucknow, India.
Bhaskar Dattatraya Kulkarni, popularly known as B. D. among his friends and colleagues, was an Indian chemical reaction engineer and a Distinguished Scientist of Chemical Engineering and Process Development at the National Chemical Laboratory, Pune. An INSA Senior Scientist and a J. C. Bose fellow, he was known for his work on fluidized bed reactors and chemical reactors. He is an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy, The World Academy of Sciences and the Indian National Academy of Engineering. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Engineering Sciences in 1988.
Vivek Vinayak Ranade is an Indian chemical engineer, entrepreneur, professor of chemical engineering at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of the Queen's University, Belfast and chair professor of process engineering at the Bernal Institute of the University of Limerick. He is a former chair professor and deputy director of the National Chemical Laboratory, Pune. He is known for his work on bubble column, stirred and trickle-bed reactors and is an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy. and the Indian National Academy of Engineering. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Engineering Sciences in 2004.
Krishnaswami Venkataraman FNA, FASc, FNASc, FRSC, popularly known as KV, was an Indian organic chemist and the first Indian director at National Chemical Laboratory and University Department of Chemical Technology, Mumbai (UDCT). He was known for the demonstration of an organic chemical reaction involving 2-acetoxyacetophenones which later came to be known as the Baker–Venkataraman rearrangement and for his contributions in developing NCL into one of the leading research centres in organic chemistry. He was an elected fellow of several science academies which included the Royal Society of Chemistry, Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, USSR Academy of Sciences, Prussian Academy of Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Indian Academy of Sciences, and the Indian National Science Academy. The Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan, the third highest Indian civilian award, in 1961.
Amol Arvindrao Kulkarni is an Indian research scientist at National Chemical Laboratory, Pune. He earned his PhD from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai in chemical engineering. His research expertise includes design and development of microreactors.
Krishnarajanagar Nagappa Ganesh is an Indian bio-organic chemist and served as the (founding) director of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Tirupati since 2017 till 2023. He is also the founding director of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, that was established in 2006 and served the office till 2017. He is a recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in chemical sciences (1998) for "his outstanding contribution towards the understanding of the chemical principles of DNA molecular recognition and for his work on various facets of DNA structure and its interaction with drugs and proteins". He is also a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy since 2000.
Akkattu T. Biju is an Indian scientist who is an associate professor in the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. He was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, Indian national award for excellence in scientific research, for Chemical Sciences for the year 2022, for his work on transition-metal-free carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bond-forming reactions using aryne chemistry and carbene-based organocatalysis.