Ranbaxy Science Foundation, a non-profit organization set-up by Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (RLL) to encourage and reward Indian scientists around the world, announced its Annual Research Awards for the year 2005.

Six scientists have been selected for these awards in recognition of their outstanding original research contributions in the field of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences. A panel of judges comprising of eminent scientists have chosen Dr. Sankar Ghosh, Dr. Nirbhay Kumar, Dr. B.C. Das, Dr. Inderjit Singh Anand, Dr. Surendra K. Sharma and Dr. Ahmed Kamal for the 2005 awards in various categories. Each award will carry a citation, a trophy and a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh.

The winners would be honoured at the Ranbaxy Science Foundation's Thirteenth Annual Symposium on "Impact of Lifestyle on Cardiovascular Health", scheduled to be held on March 20, 2007 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India, a Ranbaxy press release stated.

The awards would be conferred by the chief guest and key note speaker of the symposium, Prof. Salim Yusuf, Professor, Department of Medicine & Joint member, Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistcs, McMaster University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario, Canada.

Dr. Sankar Ghosh, Professor, Section of Immunology and Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University School of Medicine, USA, will get the award in Basic Research for his several ground-breaking discoveries in the broad field of cell signalling in immunology.

Dr. Nirbhay Kumar, Professor, Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, USA, and Dr. B.C. Das, Director of Institute of Cytology and Preventive Oncology (ICPO), India, will jointly share the award in the field of Medical Research.

Dr. Nirbhay Kumar will get the award for his outstanding research in malaria that have led to novel approaches to the prevention of transmission of this important human infection.

Dr. B C Das was selected for the award for his original contributions in the early detection and control of cervical cancer which is a major cancer among Indian women and a public health problem.

Dr. Inderjit Singh Anand, Professor of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, University of Minnesota, and Dr. Surendra K. Sharma, Professor & Head, Chief, Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India, were jointly selected for the award in the field of Clinical Research.

Dr. Anand will get the award for his contributions in the field of High Altitude Medicine and Biology and Dr. Sharma will receive the award for his outstanding contributions in the field of tuberculosis, HIV and interstitial lung disease.

Dr. Ahmed Kamal, Scientist, Biotransformation Laboratory, Division of Organic Chemistry, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, India, will get the award in the field of Pharmaceutical Sciences for his innovative contribution in designing the new molecules based on the receptor-fit mechanism particularly for DNA minor groove binding and DNA topoisomerase II inhibition.