Vineeta Rao
Auckland, April 11, 2025
Dr Kamala Ranadive was a pioneer in cancer research in India.
Born on November 8, 1917, in Pune, Maharashtra, to Dinkar Dattatreya Samarath, a biologist, Dr Kamala Ranadive got her passion for science from her father. She excelled academically, and even though her parents tried to steer her towards medicine, Dr Ranadive chose biology and earned her Bachelor of Science Degree from Fergusson College in Pune. She later earned a Master’s degree in cytogenetics from the Agriculture College in Pune.
She married young. He moved to Mumbai following her marriage to J T Ranadive, a mathematician. She pursued her doctoral studies under the guidance of renowned pathologist V R Khanolkar at the University of Bombay.
Career and Contributions
After obtaining her Doctorate in 1949, Dr Ranadive secured a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, where she worked with George Gey, a Scientist famous for developing the HeLa cell line.
She returned to India, joined the Indian Cancer Research Centre (ICRC) and established the country’s first Tissue Culture Research Laboratory. Her work focused on the links between Cancers and Viruses, eventually winning her the prestigious Padma Bhushan Award in 1982 for significantly advancing the understanding of Cancer Biology.
Ms Randive’s initial research on leprosy also laid the groundwork for the vaccine. She generously gave her time to causes close to her heart. She and her team of fellow volunteers worked hard to collect data on the nutritional condition of tribal children in rural Maharashtra, which laid the foundation for several government projects to remedy malnutrition among tribal children and pregnant women in the state..
She was the first recipient of the Silver Jubilee Research Award from the Medical Council of India and then went on to win the G J Watumull Foundation Prize for Microbiology in 1964.
Legacy and Impact
During her career, Dr Ranadive wrote and published over 200 scientific papers on Cancer and Leprosy.
In the early 70s, she and a few fellow scientists got together and discussed their social responsibility towards other, less privileged women in India, who were prevented from pursuing a career in science, either by patriarchal norms forcing women to adopt traditional homemaker roles or deterred by the fact that sometimes, science could be an old boys club.
To encourage more women into careers in science, Dr Ranadive and others set up the Indian Women Scientists’ Association to advocate women’s participation in Science. Her efforts have inspired countless women to pursue careers in scientific research, breaking barriers and setting new standards for excellence.
Dr Ranadive’s legacy as India’s first Cell Biologist and a pioneering cancer researcher continues to inspire and influence the scientific community. Her dedication to research and her role in empowering women in science remain a testament to her remarkable contributions to the field of biomedical research.
Vineeta Rao is an Indian Newslink Reporter based in Auckland.
