National Award for Dr Pawan Sharma

By Haryananewswire

CHANDIGARH, JULY 15

An Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Dr. Pawan K. Sharma, has been selected for a National Award by the Indian Chemical Society, the oldest body of Chemistry teachers and researchers established in 1924 by Acharya P.C. Ray.

While stating this today, a spokesman of the University said that Dr. Pawan would be honored with Professor D.P. Chakraborty 60th Birth Anniversary Commemoration Award, 2012 at the 50th Annual Convention of Chemists of the Indian Chemical Society to be held at the Department of Chemistry, Punjab University, Chandigarh in December   this year

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Lt. Gen. Dr. D.D.S. Sandhu  congratulated Dr. Pawan  for his significant achievement.

          Dr Pawan is a lead researcher in the area of ‘double headed nucleosides’ and is the first   to introduce a sulphonamide unit into the major groove of duplex. The simple sulphonamide containing nucleic acid building blocks developed by him can stabilize DNA:RNA duplexes to the same extent as the best available, but synthetically expensive, LNA (Locked Nucleic Acid)

Dr Pawan said that his researches on   interface of chemistry and biology involving nucleosides in the cutting edge areas of Antisense and Antigene technologies have helped in providing insight into some of the basic issues associated with refining these technologies to make them suitable for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes.

He said that this area of DNA/RNA (DeoxyriboNucleic Acid/RiboNucleic Acid) based drugs assumes significance as it has the potential to change the way we look today at drugs and drug development. Once successful, it will bring in an era of personalized medicine.