G.N.RAMACHANDRAN - BIOGRAPHY

G. N. RAMACHANDRAN
( 1922 - 2001 )

BORN IN 1922.

G. N. RAMACHANDRAN , AN OUTSTANDING FIGURE IN THE FIELD OF PROTEIN STRUCTURE , WAS FOUNDER OF THE ' MADRAS SCHOOL' OF CONFORMATIONAL ANALYSIS OF BIOPOLYMERS . HIS DISCOVERY OF THE TRIPLE HELICAL STRUCTURE  OF
COLLAGEN PUBLISHED IN NATURE IN 1954 AND HIS ANALYSIS OF THE ALLOWED  CONFORMATION OF PROTEIN THROUGH THE USE OF 'RAMCHANDRAN PLOT' RANK AMONG THE MOST OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION IN STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY.

HE WAS BORN ON OCTOBER 8 , 1922, IN A SMALL TOWN, NOT  FAR FROM COCHIN ON
THE SOUTHWESTERN COAST OF INDIA. HIS FATHER WAS A PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS AT
A LOCAL COLLEGE AND THUS HAD CONSIDERABLE INFLUENCE IN SHIPPING RAMACHANDRAN'S INTERESTS  IN MATHAMATICS.

AFTER COMPLETING SCHOOL YEARS, RAMACHANDRAN GRADUATED  IN 1942 AS THE TOP RANKING STUDENT IN B.Sc (HONORS) PHYSICS COURSE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS. HE RECEIVED A Ph.D. FROM CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY IN 1949. WHILE AT CAMBRIDG, RAMACHANDRAN MET LINUS PAULING AND WAS DEEPLY INFLUENCED BY HIS PUBLICATION ON MODEL OF THE ALPHA - HELIX AND BETA -SHEET STRUCTURE THAT DIRECTED HIS ATTENTION TO SOLVING THE STRUCTURE OF COLLAGEN. HE PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 78, ON APRIL 7, 2001.

HE INSPIRED ALL INDIAN BY HIS INCREDIBLE WORK.