The young scientist, Sagar Bhogaraju, a resident of Nizamabad, is in the limelight after his research work in structural biology and biochemistry was presented at the prestigious Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Munich, Germany.
The 29-year-old IIT Kanpur graduate, secured the Junior Scientist Awards twice in a span of three years, for his unusual work on the structure and protein content of Cilium, a small part of the human cell responsible for vital organs taking shape in the mother’s womb.
He, along with scientists all over the world, has been engaged in this research for the last five years. His discovery of the structure of “IFT-81”, a protein in Cilium responsible for its own construction, was published in a prestigious science magazine and adjudged one of the most influential by the Faculty 1000 organisation.
He also presented his research work at various international science conferences throughout Europe and garnered the attention of leading scientists across the globe.
During his recent visit back home to his parents, B.R. Venugopal Rao, an AE (Rtd) in the Irrigation Department, and Vijayalakshmi, a teacher, he told The Hindu that he was pursuing further research on Cilium.
“My further inventions, if any, will enable scientists who have expertise in drug design to make new medicine for various ailments and disabilities. On coming back home, I will continue research in one of the best scientific laboratories like Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad or IISc, Bangalore,” he said.
He was earlier selected in the campus interview in 2008 and joined Evalueserve, an IPR company in New Delhi. The following year, he got an opportunity to work with and obtain a Doctorate from the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry after having faced rigorous tests and interviews.
Interestingly, Dr. Sagar, who is presently a postdoctoral fellow, studied up to high school in Nizamabad and in Telugu medium.
