Shankar Balasubramanian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Shankar Balasubramanian
FRS FMedSci
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 30 September 1966 |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Known for |
|
| Awards |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions |
|
| Thesis | Studies on the reaction mechanism of chorismate synthase (1992) |
| Doctoral advisor | Chris Abell |
| Doctoral students | Julian Huppert |
Sir Shankar Balasubramanian is a famous British chemist born in India on September 30, 1966. He is a top professor at the University of Cambridge where he studies medicinal chemistry. He also leads a research group at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute.
Sir Shankar is well-known for his important work on nucleic acids, which include DNA and RNA. He also helped start companies like Solexa and biomodal. These companies use his discoveries to learn more about our bodies.
Early Life and School
Shankar Balasubramanian was born in Madras, India, in 1966. When he was just one year old, his family moved to the United Kingdom. He grew up in a countryside area near Runcorn, Cheshire.
He went to Daresbury Primary School and then Appleton Hall High School. Later, he studied science at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, from 1985 to 1988. After that, he continued his studies to earn a PhD. This is a very high degree for research. His PhD research looked at how a special protein called chorismate synthase works.
Research and Discoveries
After finishing his PhD in 1991, Balasubramanian went to the United States. He worked as a research fellow at Pennsylvania State University until 1993. In 1994, he returned to the University of Cambridge. He has been there ever since, moving up from a lecturer to a full professor. Since 2008, he has been the Herchel Smith Professor of Medicinal Chemistry.
He leads research labs at the Department of Chemistry and the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute. His work focuses on nucleic acids, like DNA and RNA. These are the molecules that carry genetic information in all living things.
Understanding DNA
Sir Shankar Balasubramanian is famous for two main things. First, he helped create a new way to read DNA very quickly and cheaply. This method is called Solexa sequencing. It has changed how scientists study biology and medicine. Now, it's much easier to read a person's entire genetic code.
Second, he has made big discoveries about special shapes in DNA. Most people know DNA as a double helix, like a twisted ladder. But Sir Shankar found that DNA can also form four-stranded structures called G-quadruplexes. These structures are important because they can affect how our genes work. His research helps us understand how these shapes might be used to fight diseases like cancer.
More recently, he has been inventing new chemical methods. These methods help scientists study tiny changes to DNA. These changes are called epigenetic changes. They can affect how genes are turned on or off without changing the DNA sequence itself.
Awards and Recognitions
Sir Shankar Balasubramanian has received many important awards for his scientific work. These awards show how much his discoveries have helped science and medicine.
- 1998: Glaxo Wellcome Award for Innovative Organic Chemistry
- 2002: Corday–Morgan Medal and Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry
- 2009: Royal Society Mullard Award
- 2010: BBSRC Innovator of the Year
- 2011: Elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci)
- 2012: Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
- 2012: Elected a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
- 2013: Tetrahedron Prize
- 2014: Biochemical Society Heatley Medal and Prize
- 2015: Chemical Research Society of India Medal
- 2017: Appointed Knight Bachelor for his services to science and medicine. This means he is now called "Sir."
- 2018: Royal Medal
- 2020: Millennium Technology Prize
- 2022: Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences
- 2023: Elected international member of the National Academy of Sciences
- 2024: Canada Gairdner International Award
