Professor Indira Nath

Professor Indira Nath is a world renowned authority on leprosy and a recipient of Padma Shri (1999) for her contribution to the field of immunology.

Indira's research has aided creation of tools for diagnostics, immunotherapy and antigens for clinical investigation. Her discovery and her pioneering work constitutes a significant step towards the development of treatment and vaccines for leprosy. She is one of the few people who inspire you to look beyond one’s narrow vision of life and human potential. At present, this 60-year-old is Head of the Department of Biotechnology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Professor at the S.N. Bose Centre.

Having placed India on the world map with her path breaking research, Prof. Nath has now given the people another reason to cheer for she became the first Indian to be awarded the L'Oreal-UNESCO 2002 award for ``Women in Science -- Asia/Pacific Region''. She was chosen from among 100 candidates recommended by over 800 internationally renowned scientists.

When Prof. Nath started her career in the 1970s, India had the largest number of leprosy patients in the world – which measured up to the population of 4.5 million. Her devotion and effort to this serious cause has helped to witness that figure fall to less than 1 million today. The common awful disfigurements have become rare because of the new ways that have been opened to earlier detection and better modes of treatment of this disease.

Of the numerous people who may contract the leprosy bacillus, not all of them develop the same form of the disease. Among those who develop lepromatous leprosy, its most serious form, Professor Nath identified a deficiency in the immune response system that was causing the disease. This discovery constituted a significant advance towards the development of treatments and vaccines. In her role as Director of the LEPRA - Blue Peter Research Centre in Hyderabad she works at the fore of India's fight against leprosy.

She also went on to develop the first department in India at AIIMS in 1986 with a view to train biomedical personnel in immunology, molecular biology and modern biology aspect.

Sources:
http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/lf/2002/03/17/stories/2002031701060200....

http://scienceblogs.com/thescian/2008/03/indira_nath_indias_top_scienti....