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We have all been taught in school that Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is the energy currency of the cell. However, what I learnt fairly recently is that ATP has an Indian connect.
As someone who loves Medical History, I began reading more.
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As someone who loves Medical History, I began reading more.
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Here’s a thread about the man behind the discovery of this energy carrying molecule that is ubiquitous in nature (and also in our high school science syllabus)
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Dr. Yellapragada Subbarao, was an Indian American Scientist who revolutionised the field of medicine.
He was born in Bhimavaram,in Andhra Pradesh.He had a traumatic childhood due to the early death of his father. His mother sold her jewelry so that she could educate him.
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He was born in Bhimavaram,in Andhra Pradesh.He had a traumatic childhood due to the early death of his father. His mother sold her jewelry so that she could educate him.
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He passed the matriculation examination in his third attempt and entered Presidency College, Madras. After passing the intermediate examination, he joined the Madras Medical College. He was a spiritual person and wanted to work with Ramakrishna Ashram after his MBBS.
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While in college, He started wearing Khadi, following Gandhi's call to boycott British goods and thereby, incurred the displeasure of his Professor of Surgery. Despite his good performance,he was denied the MBBS degree and was awarded the Licentiate in Medicine, a partial degree.
He sailed for the US on October 26, 1922, and took admission in the Harvard School of Tropical Medicine. After completing his studies, he joined Harvard as a Junior Faculty member. He left this job in 1940 and took up a position with Lederle Laboratories.
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His first tryst with success came with the discovery of the Fiske-Subbarao method, which helped estimate the amount of phosphorus in body fluids and tissues.7/
Subbarao discovered that adenosine triphosphate (ATP) provided energy for every biochemical process including muscle contractions. Thus, a resting muscle has a higher concentration of ATP than a fatigued muscle. 8/
These findings were published in the April 1927 issue of “Science,” which helped Him to demolish the claim that glycogen was the fountainhead of energy required for muscular contraction for which Hill and Meyerhof were awarded Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology in 1922.
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The research on ATP earned him a PhD and the work is referenced in biochemistry textbooks. It led to the award of a Fellowship by the Rockefeller Foundation.
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Subbarao next extracted Vitamin B12 from pig liver which proved effective against pernicious anemia. Thereby, solving the riddle of pernicious anemia. This set off a worldwide search for more vitamins, aiding our modern understanding of vitamin deficiencies. 11/
Dr. Sidney Farber, a pediatric pathologist, noticed that the administration of folates to leukemia patients accelerated the disease. He hypothesized that administration of antifolates might decelerate the disease.12/
Dr. Farber knew that Dr. Subbarao had found antifolates, intermediary compounds, which blocked folate metabolism.
And thus, Aminopterin, was first used in 1947 on a boy diagnosed with leukemia, and within a month after treatment was started, he improved.
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And thus, Aminopterin, was first used in 1947 on a boy diagnosed with leukemia, and within a month after treatment was started, he improved.
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So, Aminopterin, “first-ever anticancer drug,” was marketed by Lederle Laboratory 1953 to 1964 for the indication of pediatric leukemia. For this discovery and contribution, Dr. Subbarao can be called the father of targeted cancer chemotherapy.
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Methotrexate, a compound closely related to Aminopterin, was synthesized by Dr. Subbarao. The drug was less toxic than aminopterin and began to replace it. It continues to be on the WHO’s list of Essential medicines.15/
Following the discovery of Penicillin 1928, a project was undertaken where soldiers fighting all over the globe in World War II, were instructed to bring soil samples for screening at Lederle Laboratories for possible anti-bacterial agents produced by natural soil fungi.16/
This led to the discovery of a newer class of antibiotics- Tetracyclines.
Under Subbarao, Benjamin Duggar made his discovery of the world's first tetracycline antibiotic, chlortetracycline, in 1945. Tradenamed “Aureomycin” because of its yellow colour.
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Under Subbarao, Benjamin Duggar made his discovery of the world's first tetracycline antibiotic, chlortetracycline, in 1945. Tradenamed “Aureomycin” because of its yellow colour.
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The antifilarial action of Diethylcarbamazine was discovered and described in 1947 by Subbarao et al. DEC is a synthetic derivative of piperazine, an anthelmintic. The drug is used in the treatment of filariasis. It continues to be on the WHO’s Essential Drug list.
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With so many discoveries and developments to his credit, Dr. Subbarao never marketed his work and hence, was always left behind in terms of work recognition and appreciation.
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Yellapragada Subbarao was one of those rare people who made several significant contributions, yet was not honored with a Nobel Prize or even its equivalents.
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“You've probably never heard of Dr. Yellapragada Subba Rao, yet because he lived you may be well and alive today; because he lived you may live longer"
- Doron K. Antrim
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- Doron K. Antrim
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Okay, this blew up.
Thank you for appreciating this thread. I like to read medical history. It's very humbling to realise that we've reached where we are now due to the relentless efforts, grit and determination of so many wonderful men and women.
Thank you for appreciating this thread. I like to read medical history. It's very humbling to realise that we've reached where we are now due to the relentless efforts, grit and determination of so many wonderful men and women.
I wish history of medicine was taught in medical school, not to test us on how well we memorised facts but to help us draw inspiration from these stories.
