Remembering Y Subbarao on his birthday

New Delhi: Today is the 121st birth anniversary of one of finest Indian scientists Yellapragada Subbarao. He is best known for the development of methotrexate for treatment of cancer and also for the discovery of the function of adenosine triphosphate as an energy source.

Born today in a Tamil family in the year 1895, Subbarao completed his graduation from the Presidency college in Madras. He came from a financially crippled background.

A believer and the supporter of Indian freedom struggle, Subbarao was greatly inspired by Gandhi.

After completing his education, he started his research in the area of Ayurveda.

In the 1920s, Subbarao got an opportunity to study in the Harvard University in America where he completed his PhD and began his career as an Assistant faculty member. This was the same period when he made his first crucial breakthrough by developing a method to figure out the estimate of phosphorus in body fluids and tissues with Cyrus Fiske.

He had an important role in the some of the medical research happened in America during the world war II.

He discovered the folic acid and isolated Adenosine Triphosphate.

He got the maximum recognition when a fungus genus was named after him, called Subbaromyces.

At the age of 53, in 1948 Subbarao died in the USA but till then he had made some useful important impact in the field of biochemistry.

In the twenty-first century when India is putting a focus on the schemes like Make In India, it is important that role of such people is remembered so that the country can produce more talents like him. India needs geniuses like Subbarao who can help the nation achieve the development that it is striving for.(image-wikipedia)