British-Indian professor receives knighthood from Queen
Shankar Balasubramanian, an Indian-origin British professor has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to the field of science and medicine. The Herchel Smith Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at Cambridge University was honoured for his work as a co-inventor of Next Generation DNA sequencing. "His work has spawned an entirely new discipline of Bioinformatics," his citation read.
From Aditi Khanna London, Dec 31 (PTI) Shankar Balasubramanian, an Indian-origin British professor of chemistry, has received a Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to the field of science and medicine. Balasubramanian, 50, Herchel Smith Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at Cambridge University, has been recognised for his work as a co-inventor of Next Generation DNA sequencing, described as the most transformational advance in biology and medicine for decades. "Solexa sequencing, as it is now known, allows an individual genome to be sequenced in a day or two at a cost of less than 1,000 pounds; previously, sequencing the human genome took years of work and cost billions. His work has spawned an entirely new discipline of Bioinformatics," his citation reads. "More recently, he has made major contributions to understanding the role of DNA-quadruplexes in cancer and invented a method for the sequencing of epigenetic modifications," his citation reads. Olympic stars Andy Murray, Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis- Hill are among others honoured in the 2017 New Year Honours list, which also includes big names from the entertainment world, including actors Mark Rylance and Patricia Routledge. Rio 2016 mens tennis champion Murray and double gold- winning athlete Farah receive Knighthoods, while heptathlete Ennis-Hill becomes a Dame. 