Yagya Dutta Sharma (born 22 July 1951) is an Indian molecular biologist, professor and head of the department of biotechnology at the

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (AIIMS New Delhi), is a public medical research university and hospital in New Delhi, India. The institute is governed by the AIIMS Act, 1956 and operates autonomously under the Ministry of He ...

. An elected fellow of all three major Indian science academies —

Indian National Science Academy The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) is a national academy in New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three b ...

Indian Academy of Sciences The Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore was founded by Indian Physicist and List of Nobel laureates, Nobel Laureate Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, C. V. Raman, and was registered as a society on 27 April 1934. Inaugurated on 31 July 1934, it ...

, and

National Academy of Sciences, India The National Academy of Sciences, India, also known as NASI, was established in 1930 and is the oldest science academy of India. It is located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Prof. Meghnad Saha was the founder president. Fellows * Suddhasatwa Bas ...

— Sharma is known for his research on the molecular biology of

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

. The

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR; IAST: ''vaigyanik tathā audyogik anusandhāna pariṣada'') is a research and development (R&D) organisation in India to promote scientific, industrial and economic growth. Headquarter ...

, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology Shanti or Shanthi may refer to: In Sanskrit * Inner peace, a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress * Kshanti, one of the paramitas of B ...

for his contributions to medical sciences in 1994.

Biography

Born on 22 July 1951, Y. D. Sharma did his early college studies at Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University (formerly known as Agra University) from where he earned his bachelor's (BSc) and master's (MSc) degrees. Subsequently, he did his doctoral studies at M. J. P. Rohilkhand University and after securing a PhD for his thesis on ''serum

glycoproteins Glycoproteins are proteins which contain oligosaccharide (sugar) chains covalently attached to amino acid side-chains. The carbohydrate is attached to the protein in a cotranslational or posttranslational modification. This process is known a ...

'' in 1981, he did the first part of his post-doctoral work at the

where his work was based on fluorosis. Moving to the

University of Connecticut Health Center UConn Health is a healthcare system and hospital, and branch of the University of Connecticut that oversees clinical care, advanced biomedical research, and academic education in medicine. The system is funded directly by the State of Connecticut ...

in 1982, Sharma continued his post-doc work at the laboratory of Marvin Lawrence Tanzer on molecular biology and biochemistry of

collagens Collagen () is the main structural protein in the extracellular matrix of the connective tissues of many animals. It is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up 25% to 35% of protein content. Amino acids are bound together to form a tri ...

. However, when he moved to Public Health Research Institute in 1984, his focus shifted to molecular

parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their host (biology), hosts, and the relationship between them. As a List of biology disciplines, biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in questio ...

which remained the main theme of his researches thereafter. He returned to India to join National Institute of Malaria Research (erstwhile Malaria Research Centre) as a Pool Officer but his stay at NIMR lasted only six months until he was appointed as an associate professor at AIIMS Delhi where he established a laboratory for researches on molecular parasitology. Sharma continues at AIIMS as a professor since 1998 and heads the department of biotechnology while serving as the coordinator of Bioinformatics Centre of the institution. In 2011, he also served as a part of the two-member committee constituted to investigate the plagiarism charges against one of the senior doctors of AIIMS.

Legacy

During his days at Public Health Research Institute, Sharma was successful in cloning the knob protein gene of ''

Plasmodium falciparum ''Plasmodium falciparum'' is a Unicellular organism, unicellular protozoan parasite of humans and is the deadliest species of ''Plasmodium'' that causes malaria in humans. The parasite is transmitted through the bite of a female ''Anopheles'' mos ...

'', one of the protozoan parasites causing malaria, in 1984. At AIIMS, he led a group of researchers who carried out molecular epidemiological studies of the parasites causing

and their studies widened the understanding of the parasites' resistance to

chloroquine Chloroquine is an antiparasitic medication that treats malaria. It works by increasing the levels of heme in the blood, a substance toxic to the malarial parasite. This kills the parasite and stops the infection from spreading. Certain types ...

and antifolate drugs. Sharma is credited with the identification of ''P. falciparum'' strains in India, isolation of ''P. falciparum'' and ''

Plasmodium vivax ''Plasmodium vivax'' is a protozoal parasite and a human pathogen. This parasite is the most frequent and widely distributed cause of recurring malaria. Although it is less virulent than ''Plasmodium falciparum'', the deadliest of the five huma ...

'', another non-cultivable protozoan parasite, as well as the development of a

genomic library A genomic library is a collection of overlapping DNA fragments that together make up the total genomic DNA of a single organism. The DNA is stored in a population of identical Vector (molecular biology), vectors, each containing a different Insert ...

of ''

''. It was his group which reported the first incidence of malaria in humans caused by ''

Plasmodium knowlesi ''Plasmodium knowlesi'' is a parasite that causes malaria in humans and other primates. It is found throughout Southeast Asia, and is the most common cause of human malaria in Malaysia. Like other ''Plasmodium'' species, ''P. knowlesi'' has a li ...

'', a primate malarial parasite. These studies are reported to have relevance in developing immunotherapeutic reagents. Sharma 's research have been documented by way of several articles and the online repository of scientific articles of the

has listed a number of them. His work has been cited by many researchers and he has mentored over 70 master's and doctoral students in their studies.

Awards and honors

The

awarded Sharma the

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize Shanti or Shanthi may refer to: In Sanskrit * Inner peace, a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress * Kshanti, one of the paramitas of B ...

, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1994. The

elected him as a fellow in 1993 and he received Dr. M.O.T. Iyengar Memorial Prize of the

Indian Council of Medical Research The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world. The ICMR is funded by the Gove ...

for his researches on malaria in 1997. Sharma became an elected fellow of the

in 2000 and the

2006; in between, he received the National Academy of Vector Borne Diseases Award in 2001. He is a life member of the Indian Society for Malaria and Other Communicable Diseases and a member of

New York Academy of Sciences The New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), originally founded as the Lyceum of Natural History in January 1817, is a nonprofit professional society based in New York City, with more than 20,000 members from 100 countries. It is the fourth-oldes ...

American Society for Microbiology The American Society for Microbiology (ASM), originally the Society of American Bacteriologists, is a professional organization for scientists who study viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa as well as other aspects of microbiology. It wa ...

, American Association for Advancement of Science, and

American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) is an Arlington, Virginia-based non-profit organization of scientists, clinicians, students and program professionals whose longstanding mission is to promote global health through the ...

Biography

Legacy

Awards and honors

Selected bibliography

See also

Notes

References

External links

Further reading