Surendra Nath Sehgal (1932–2003) was an Indian-Canadian-American microbiologist and pharmaceutical scientist most widely known for his discovery and development of ''

Rapamycin Sirolimus, also known as rapamycin and sold under the brand name Rapamune among others, is a macrolide compound that is used to coat coronary stents, prevent organ rejection, organ transplant rejection, treat a rare lung disease called lymphang ...

'' (Sirolimus), a immunosuppressant drug widely used in organ transplantation. Rapamycin has also attracted attention as a potential anti-cancer and anti-aging drug.

Early life and education

Surendra (Suren) Nath Sehgal, as born in Khushab in pre-partition India (now Pakistan). His father, Sita Ram Sehgal, owned a pharmaceutical factory, but relocated to New Delhi in 1947 after the

Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

. Sehgal completed a B.Pharm in 1952 and an M.Pharm in 1953 from

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU), formerly Benares Hindu University, is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. The university incorporated the Central Hindu College, ...

. At 21, he moved to England to pursue his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology at the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...

, graduating in 1957.

Career

After completing his Ph.D., Sehgal accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Research Council of Canada. In 1959, he joined Ayerst Research Laboratories in Montreal, becoming part of the Department of Microbiology. In 1964, Montreal bacteriologist Georges Nogrady collected soil samples from

Easter Island Easter Island (, ; , ) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is renowned for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, ...

as part of a Canadian medical expedition. These soil samples contained a bacterium, '' Streptomyces hydroscopicus'' AY B-994, which showed anti-fungal properties. Isolates of these bacteria were obtained by Sehgal and his team at Ayerst. They found that the activity of these bacteria was the result of a novel compound, later named

. Ayerst consolidated their research operations in the United States by closing their laboratory in Montreal in 1983. Sehgal relocated to Princeton, New Jersey to continue his work. Initially, the program into rapamycin was cancelled and the bacterial samples were slated for destruction. Sehgal stored vials of the rapamycin-producing bacteria in his home freezer to prevent their destruction and transported them into the USA with his personal belongings in a homemade dry-ice cooler. Ayerst's laboratories were merged with Wyeth's in 1987. In response to Sehgal's advocacy, new management at Wyeth restored support for development of rapamycin as a drug in 1988. This reinvigorated program eventually led to the FDA approval of rapamycin as an immunosuppressant to prevent organ transplant rejection in 1999. The drug is sold as RAPAMUNE (

sirolimus Sirolimus, also known as rapamycin and sold under the brand name Rapamune among others, is a macrolide compound that is used to coat coronary stents, prevent organ transplant rejection, treat a rare lung disease called lymphangioleiomyomatosis ...

Awards and distinctions

* 1997 Lifetime Achievement Award. “For his outstanding landmark contribution in discovering an effective immunosuppressive drug for organ transplantation.” Awarded by The Indian Society of Organ Transplantation. * 1997 Elected Fellow of American Academy of Microbiology * 2000 Lifetime Achievement Award. The Canadian Transplantation Society

Personal life and legacy

Sehgal became a Canadian citizen while he worked for Ayerst in Montreal. He later became a dual citizen of Canada and the United States after relocating to Princeton. Sehgal was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic colon cancer in 1998. He died at home in Seattle on January 21, 2003.

References

Indian microbiologists Canadian microbiologists American microbiologists Banaras Hindu University alumni Alumni of the University of Bristol People from Khushab District {{DEFAULTSORT:Sehgal, Surendra Nath 1932 births 2003 deaths