Born on November 8, 1917, in Pune, India, Dr Kamal Ranadiv was one of the prominent biomedical researchers in India.
She played an active role in cancer studies and was a patron of Female Scientists. She can be credited with having done her Ph. D. from the University of Bombay in cytology in 1949, and started India’s first tissue culture laboratory in Mumbai.
It can be seen that Ranadive was directly involved in the study of genetics of breast cancer and some cancers and viruses.
In 1973 she decided to form the Indian Women Scientists Association so as to support women in the science fields. Upon her retirement in 1989 she dedicated her time to train Sourashtra women in rural Maharashtra to become healthcare workers.
Unfortunately, Dr.Ranadive is no more in the world, she died on April 11, 2001 but her good work is memorable.
Early Life and Education
Kamal Ranadiv felt the desire to become a doctor from his childhood as his parents were very progressive and were very much into education and science.
Her father, who is a biologist and a college professor, directed his children, and herself inclusive, to continue with their academic passion.
Kamal was an excellent student in school and completed high school at Huzurpaga and received Bachelor of Science from Fergusson College in 1934.
She was then able to pursue a Master’s degree in cytogenetics on the sponsorship of her father at the Agriculture College in Pune.
Even though her father wanted her to be a doctor one day, she was determined to do research in science, in cancer biology in particular, and contribute a lot to this area of study.
Professional Beginnings
Dr. Kamal Ranadiv started her career at Tata Memorial Hospital in Bombay, working in the pathology department and gaining important experience in cancer research.
This experience helped her understand cancer biology and pathology well, preparing her for her future work.
After that, she got her Ph.D. at the University of Bombay with V. R. Khanolkar as her mentor, a well-known pathologist.
Her research was on cytology, which gave her the necessary skills and knowledge for her later achievements, like setting up India’s first tissue culture laboratory.
Postdoctoral Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Kamal Ranadiv’s time working with George Gey at Johns Hopkins University greatly influenced her career, especially in tissue culture techniques.
Gey was famous for his cell biology work, especially with the HeLa cell line, which is important for cancer research.
During her fellowship, Ranadive learned advanced tissue culture methods that helped her start India’s first tissue culture lab at the Indian Cancer Research Centre when she came back.
This lab was key for cancer research, allowing her to do important studies on cancer, including leukemia and breast cancer.
Establishing India’s First Tissue Culture Laboratory
Dr. Kamal Ranadiv, after her fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, came back to India and set up the first tissue culture lab at the Indian Cancer Research Centre in Mumbai in the early 1960s.
This lab was crucial for cancer research in India, offering a controlled setting to study cancer cells and their actions.
Using tissue culture, researchers could grow and study cells away from their natural setting, leading to major progress in understanding cancer, including creating models for leukemia, breast cancer, and esophageal cancer.
Pioneering Research in Cancer Biology
Dr. Kamal Ranadiv’s research mainly focused on leukemia, breast cancer, and esophageal cancer, helping to better understand these diseases in India.
She looked into how genes and the environment affect the risk of getting cancer, especially in women.
A key achievement was creating models in animals to study how cancer develops, which helped in understanding the disease better.
These models allowed for studying how tumors grow, how they progress, and how they react to treatments.
Contributions to Understanding Cancer Susceptibility
Dr. Kamal Ranadiv studied how hormones, viruses, and cancer interact, especially in breast cancer.
She looked at how genes affect the risk of breast cancer, showing that hormones can cause cells to grow too much and increase the chance of genetic mistakes that lead to cancer.
Her research helped understand how certain genes, like HSD17B1 and CYP19, work with hormones to identify people at high risk for breast cancer.
Development of Cancer Research Units
Dr. Kamal Ranadiv was key in developing the Indian Cancer Research Centre (ICRC) by creating new areas of study like carcinogenesis, cell biology, and immunology.
This approach made cancer research more focused and collaborative, helping scientists share and build on each other’s work.
Ranadive’s leadership drew in young, skilled researchers who she mentored, helping the institute grow and maintain its status as a top cancer research center in India.
Her work in creating these divisions and investing in staff ensured that the ICRC’s legacy lived on through future scientists.
Work on Leprosy and Vaccine Development
Dr. Kamal Ranadiv’s research on the leprosy bacterium, Mycobacterium leprae, played a crucial role in creating a leprosy vaccine.
Her studies helped identify important aspects of the bacterium, leading to the development of a vaccine that was a big step forward in treating leprosy.
This research showed how basic science can help solve major health issues. Ranadive’s dedication to making a leprosy vaccine highlights her goal of using science to help people suffering from the disease.
Awards and Recognitions
Dr. Kamal Ranadiv was a well-known medical practitioner in the region and managed to secure many awards for her services she provided to the society which were among them the Padma Bhushan which is an accolade given by the Government of India to recognize the work of civilians of Indian origin in any field including medicine.
He also reached to the Silver Jubilee Research Award and in the year 1964 she also achieved G. J. Watumull Foundation Prize in microbiology.
She has been commemorated yearly through the online search engine giant, Google, through a Google Doodle in her honour on her 104th birthday in 2021 in recognition of her contributions to science, and the role she played in empowering women scientists.
Kamal Ranadiv’s astounding research work and a stiff focus on the grave issues of cancer as well as public health have shown a high impact profile in the scientific world of India.
On this front, she has significantly enriched understanding of cancer and leprosy; just as importantly, she has inspired many, many people – especially women – to embark on a career in science.
