Meet Kamal Ranadive, Cell Biologist Who Revolutionised Cancer Research

Cell biologist Dr Kamal Ranadive was a pioneering researcher who made groundbreaking contributions to women's healthcare. She is among the first researchers in India who proposed a link between breast cancer and heredity. Ranadive also identified the links between cancers, hormones, and certain viruses. Her work on the leprosy bacteria led to the preparation of a vaccine. Moreover, she led the founding team of the Indian Women Scientists Association (IWSA). Born and raised in an era when women were prohibited from pursuing education, Ranadive blazed the trail in the medical field, not only for herself but for generations to come.

The crusader was conferred with the Padma Bhushan (the third-highest civilian award) for Medicine in 1982. She was also awarded the first Silver Jubilee Research Award in 1964, including a gold medal and a cash award of ₹ 15,000. 

Dr Kamal Ranadive: Unsung Hero

Kamal Samarath was born on November 8, 1917, in Pune to Dinkar Dattatreya Samarath and Shantabai Dinkar Samarath. Her father was a biologist who taught at the esteemed Fergusson College. He wanted Kamal to pursue medicine and marry a doctor but her eyes were set on studying biology. She studied Botany and Zoology at Ferguson before moving to Agriculture College, Pune, for a master's degree (M.Sc.) in cytogenetics of Annonaceae.

The biologist got married to J. T. Ranadive, a mathematician, on 13 May 1939 and moved to Bombay, where she worked at the Tata Memorial Hospital. In 1949, she received a doctorate in cytology while working as a researcher University of Bombay, under the guidance of renowned pathologist Dr V R Khanolkar. She then went on to pursue a fellowship on tissue culture techniques and work with biologist George Gey at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA.

After returning to India, Ranadive started working at the Indian Cancer Research Centre (ICRC) as a Senior Research Officer. She was instrumental in establishing the Experimental Biology Laboratory and Tissue Culture Laboratory in Bombay. She was at the helm of the institute as the Director from 1966 to 1970. Ranadive studied Mycobacterium leprae, the bacterium that causes leprosy, and contributed significantly to developing a vaccine for the same.

Ranadive is credited with groundbreaking research on the pathophysiology of cancer through the medium of animals which led to a further appreciation of causes of diseases such as leukaemia, breast cancer and Esophageal cancer. She was also responsible for establishing a link between the susceptibility of cancer and hormones and tumour virus relationship. Her contributions have been a vital achievement for science, especially for women.

Ranadive had also been passionate about seeing more women enter scientific fields. She founded the Indian Women Scientists' Association (IWSA) in 1973 with her colleagues, to create a community in support of women in STEM. Following a glorious career, Ranadive retired in 1989 and went on to train women in rural Maharashtra as healthcare workers and provide health and nutrition education. She passed away on April 11, 2001, aged 83.