Tiruchirappalli Chelvaraj Anand Kumar (1936–2010) was an Indian biologist and reproductive biologist and the creator of the second scientifically documented test tube baby in India. He was the founder of Hope Infertility Clinic, Bangalore and the director of the National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (then known as Institute for Research in Reproduction). He was an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medical Sciences and a recipient of the Sanjay Gandhi National Award. The

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR; IAST: ''vaigyanik tathā audyogik anusandhāna pariṣada'') is a research and development (R&D) organisation in India to promote scientific, industrial and economic growth. Headquarter ...

, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1977, for his contributions to biological sciences.

Biography

Born on 18 January 1936 in a

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

family in the south Indian state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, Anand Kumar did his early college studies in

Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

before securing a doctoral degree from the Jai Narain Vyas University. Subsequently, he went to the UK for post-doctoral research but returned to India to join the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi in 1969, where he worked till 1982. Later, he moved to the Institute for Research in Reproduction, Mumbai, (present-day National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health) where he worked till his superannuation from official service and founded ''Hope Infertility Clinic'' in Bengaluru, a center for infertility clinical service. Kumar was married to Karpagam and the couple had a son, Vijay and a daughter, Ambika. The family lived in Bengaluru and it was here, he died on the Indian Republic Day (26 January) of 2010, at the age of 74, survived by his wife, children and three grandchildren.

India's Second test tube baby

During his tenure at the National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Kumar was involved in research on in-vitro fertilization and led a team which created the first official test tube baby in India. The baby, Harsha Chawda née Harsha, was born on 6 August 1986 at King Edward Memorial Hospital and Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College, Mumbai, by a caesarian section performed by Indira Hinduja. Subsequently, he learned of the researches of Subhash Mukherjee and of the birth of Kanupriya Agarwal (Durga) on 3 October 1978 in

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

under the supervision of Mukherjee. Kumar checked the handwritten notes and research papers of Mukherjee and acknowledged that the first test tube baby born in India was Durga. He delivered the ''Subhas Mukerji Memorial Oration'' at the third ''National Congress on Assisted Reproductive Technology and Advances in Infertility Management'' held in Kolkata on 8 February 1997 and published an article under the title, ''Architect of India's first test tube baby: Dr. Subhas Mukherjee'', the same year through which he established that many of Mukherjee's techniques were pioneering. His efforts were reported to have influenced the subsequent acceptance by the

Indian Council of Medical Research The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world. The ICMR is funded by the Gove ...

(ICMR) which eventually recognized the work of Mukherjee.

Other contributions

Kumar, whose researches covered many aspects of

assisted reproductive technology Assisted reproductive technology (ART) includes medical procedures used primarily to address infertility. This subject involves procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and cryopreservation of ga ...

and the role of

neuroendocrine Neuroendocrine cells are cells that receive neuronal input (through neurotransmitters released by nerve cells or neurosecretory cells) and, as a consequence of this input, release messenger molecules ( hormones) into the blood. In this way they b ...

system in reproduction, was known to have introduced a technique for endonasal administration of hormones. His researches revealed the path of gonadal hormones to the brain through cerebro-spinal fluid and his technique of endonasal administration of steroids started a contraceptive administration protocol through nasal route which resulted in the preferential transfer of contraceptives into cerebro-spinal fluid, then known to be a novel approach in

contraception Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...

. He was the author of several articles detailing his researches, published in peer reviewed national and international journals,

PubMed PubMed is an openly accessible, free database which includes primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institute ...

, an online repository of scientific papers, has listed 53 of them.uthor"> Soon after joining the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi, he established an electron microscopy laboratory in 1970 and later a neuroendocrine research laboratory at the institution. In 1988, he founded the ''Indian Society for the Study of Reproduction and Fertility'' (ISSRF) for providing a platform for researches in reproductive biology and served as its founder president. He was a part of the

team which drafted the ''National Guidelines for Accreditation, Supervision and Regulation of ART Clinics in India'' in 2005. He was also associated with organizations such as the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

and the

and government agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Biotechnology as their adviser.

Awards and honors

The

awarded Kumar the

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize Shanti or Shanthi may refer to: In Sanskrit * Inner peace, a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress * Kshanti, one of the paramitas of B ...

, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1977 for his contributions in the field of ''neuroendocrinology of primate reproduction''. The Indian Academy of Sciences elected him as a fellow in 1981 and he became a fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences in October 2011. He was also a fellow of the

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...

and a recipient of the Sanjay Gandhi National Award. The Indian Society for the Study of Reproduction and Fertility has instituted an award oration, ''Founder-President Dr. T. C. Anand Kumar Memorial Oration'' in his honor.

Notes

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