C. M. Gupta

Chhitar Mal Gupta (born 1944) is an Indian molecular biologist and academic, known for researches on transbilayer phospholipid asymmetry in biological membranes., drug targeting in parasitic diseases and characterization of structure and function of Leishmania actin and actin binding proteins. He is former director of the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow and the Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh. A Distinguished Biotechnology Fellow and Distinguished Biotechnology Research Professor of the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, he is an elected fellow of The World Academy of Sciences, Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy, National Academy of Sciences, India and the National Academy of Medical Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 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 1985, for his contributions to biological sciences.

Education and research Gupta graduated in medicinal chemistry from the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India with the degrees MSc and PhD. He served as the director of the Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh for five years, and director of the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow for over ten years.

After his superannuation, he continued to work at CDRI first as distinguished biotechnologist and then as distinguished biotechnology research professor up to the age of 70 years, and thereafter, he joined the Institute of Bioinformatics & Applied Biotechnology in Bengaluru, Karnataka, where he is still working first as Distinguished Professor( Hon.) & Infosys Chair till August 31, 2024 and thereafter as Emeritus Professor. . His areas of specialization are membrane biochemistry/biophysics and medicinal & pharmaceutical chemistry.

Awards and honors The Indian National Science Academy awarded Gupta the Young Scientists Medal in 1974. He received the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in 1985, the same year as he received the Ranbaxy Research Foundation Award. Goyal Prize (2000) and the Golden Jubilee Commemoration Medal (2001) of the Indian National Science Academy.

The Indian Academy of Sciences elected him as a fellow in 1987 and the Indian National Science Academy followed suit in 1989. Two years later, the National Academy of Sciences, India elected him as their fellow. With his election in 2000, Gupta became one of the few people from outside medical profession to be elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences. The same year, The World Academy of Sciences also elected him as a fellow.