Kamal Ranadive facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kamal Ranadive
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Kamal Samarath
8 November 1917 |
| Died | 11 April 2001 (aged 83) |
| Known for | Pioneering cancer research |
| Spouse(s) |
Jayasing Trimbak Ranadive
(m. 1939) |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Cell biology |
| Institutions | Cancer Research Centre and Tata Memorial Hospital |
Kamal Jayasing Ranadive (born Samarath; 8 November 1917 — 11 April 2001) was an Indian scientist. She was a biomedical researcher who studied the links between cancer and viruses. She also helped start the Indian Women Scientists' Association (IWSA).
In the 1960s, she created India's first tissue culture research lab. This lab was at the Indian Cancer Research Centre in Mumbai.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Kamal Ranadive was born in Pune, India, on 8 November 1917. Her parents were Dinkar Dattatreya Samarath and Shantabai Dinkar Samarath. Her father was a biologist who taught at Fergusson College. He made sure all his children received a good education.
Kamal was a very smart student. She went to the H. H. C. P. High School, also known as the Huzurpaga. Her father wanted her to study medicine. He also hoped she would marry a doctor. But Kamal chose a different path.
College Studies
She started college at Fergusson College. Her main subjects were Botany (the study of plants) and Zoology (the study of animals). In 1934, she earned her Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree with high marks.
Later, she went to the Agriculture College in Pune. There, she completed her master's degree (M.Sc.) in 1943. Her special subject was cytogenetics of annonaceae. This is the study of how cells and genes work in a specific plant family.
Marriage and Further Studies
On 13 May 1939, she married J. T. Ranadive, who was a mathematician. After getting married, she moved to Mumbai (then called Bombay). They had a son named Anil Jaysingh.
In Mumbai, she worked at the Tata Memorial Hospital. Her husband helped her a lot with her advanced studies in Cytology. This is the study of cells. She also worked on her doctoral degree (Doctor of Philosophy) at the Bombay University. Her mentor was V. R. Khanolkar. He was a famous pathologist and the founder of the Indian Cancer Research Centre (ICRC).
After earning her Ph.D. in 1949, Dr. Khanolkar encouraged her to study in America. She received a special fellowship to learn tissue culture techniques. She worked with George Gey at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. George Gey was famous for creating the HeLa cell line, which is very important in science.
Professional Career and Research
When Kamal Ranadive returned to India, she rejoined the ICRC. She became a Senior Research Officer. She played a key role in setting up the Experimental Biology Laboratory and the Tissue Culture Laboratory in Mumbai. From 1966 to 1970, she was the acting Director of the Indian Cancer Research Centre.
Key Research Areas
In the early 1960s, she and her team created special materials for tissue culture. These materials are called reagents. She also helped start new research groups. These groups focused on Carcinogenesis (how cancer starts), Cell biology (the study of cells), and Immunology (the study of the immune system).
Her work included studying how cancer affects animals. This helped scientists understand diseases like leukemia, breast cancer, and Esophageal cancer. She also found a link between how likely someone is to get cancer and their hormones. She studied the connection between cancer and tumor viruses. Her basic research on bacteria also helped develop a vaccine for leprosy.
Inspiring Women in Science
Kamal Ranadive was a great inspiration for Indian women scientists. She encouraged them to work on cancer research. She especially focused on cancer in women and children. One of her projects studied the blood of tribal infants. This project was called "Immunohematology of Tribal Blood."
Special Studies and Community Work
While working at Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital, Kamal Ranadive studied breast cancer. She looked at how the disease was linked to heredity (genes), having children, and cell structure. She also paid special attention to cancers that run in families. She studied unusual blood conditions known as dyscrasias.
In 1989, Dr. Ranadive and her team worked with a group called Satya Niketan. They collected information about the nutrition of tribal children. This study took place in the Akola area of Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra.
Kamal Ranadive also advised women in rural villages. She helped them with health and medical care. This was done through government projects supported by the Indian Women Association.
Awards and Recognition
Kamal Ranadive received many honors for her work.
- In 1982, she was awarded the Padma Bhushan. This is India's third-highest award for civilians.
- In 1964, she received the first Silver Jubilee Research Award from the Medical Council of India. This award included a gold medal and money.
- She also won the G. J. Watumull Foundation Prize for microbiology in 1964.
She was an Emeritus Medical Scientist for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). On 8 November 2021, Google honored her with a Google Doodle on her 104th birthday.
Published Papers
Kamal Ranadive published over 200 scientific papers. These papers were about her research on cancer and leprosy. Some of her papers include:
- "Betel quid chewing and oral cancer: Experimental studies on hamsters"
- "Effect of Urethan on Nucleic Acids"
- "Influence of splenectomy on the development of leukemia in male mice of the ICRC strain"
- "Characterisation of mammary tumour virus of strain ICRC mouse"
See also
In Spanish: Kamal Ranadive para niños
