IISER's Prof Talukdar wins CRS Silver Star medal
The CRS Silver Star Medal, one of the highest accolades conferred by the Chirantan Rasayan Sanstha, celebrates excellence in chemical research and aims to foster scientific progress in the discipline.
Prof Talukdar will be formally felicitated during the upcoming CRS symposium. The two-day event is scheduled to take place at the Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Karnataka, between August 1 and 2.
A distinguished scientist, Prof. Talukdar is especially recognised for his work in supramolecular chemistry, molecular recognition, and chemical biology—developing synthetic receptors and transport systems that mimic biological processes.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Prof. Talukdar expressed his gratitude, saying, 'Getting recognised for our research is very important. It's a kind of motivation for us.'
His recent work involves creating artificial molecular systems that replicate natural protein channels in cells.
'We've developed three-dimensional structures capable of disrupting ion balance within a cell,' he explained.
'At the core of our work is the idea of disrupting the ionic balance in cancer cells. This imbalance leads to cell death, and we're now developing strategies to make this process highly specific to cancer cells,' he said.
Unlike conventional cancer treatments that target proteins or DNA, Talukdar's novel approach embeds artificial channels in cell membranes, activating them selectively through chemical or enzymatic triggers. This method could reduce collateral damage to healthy cells, a common drawback of traditional therapies.
Prof Talukdar has received several national accolades, including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Chemical Sciences in 2018. He was also elected a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences and holds a Wellcome Trust-DBT India Alliance Senior Fellowship.
Having joined IISER Pune in its early years (2006–2007), Prof Talukdar has been a pivotal part of the institute's academic community for nearly 18 years.
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