Lalita Ramakrishnan

Lalita Ramakrishnan Royal Society

Lalita Ramakrishnan is an Indian-American microbiologist and immunologist known for her pioneering research on tuberculosis (TB). She is a professor of immunology and infectious diseases at the University of Cambridge and a principal investigator at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology.

Early Life and Education

Lalita Ramakrishnan was born in India. She completed her MBBS degree at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. She then moved to the United States to pursue a MD degree at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Following her MD, she earned a PhD in immunology from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Career

Ramakrishnan began her career as a faculty member at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she conducted significant research on the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis. Her work has focused on understanding the mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions and the immune response to tuberculosis.

In 2014, she joined the University of Cambridge as a professor of immunology and infectious diseases. She also became a principal investigator at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology.

Research Contributions

Ramakrishnan's research has provided critical insights into the biology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the host's immune response to the infection. She has utilized the zebrafish model to study tuberculosis, which has allowed for the visualization of the infection process in real-time. Her work has led to the identification of key factors involved in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis and has implications for the development of new therapeutic strategies.

Awards and Honors

Lalita Ramakrishnan has received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to the field of microbiology and immunology. Some of these include:

• Election to the National Academy of Sciences
• Election to the Academy of Medical Sciences
• The Lister Institute Research Prize

Personal Life

Ramakrishnan is married to Venki Ramakrishnan, a Nobel Prize-winning structural biologist and former president of the Royal Society.

See Also

• Tuberculosis
• Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• Immunology
• Infectious diseases
• Zebrafish