The two-day symposium on "Legacy of Nitric Oxide Discovery: Impact on Disease Biology" will review the advancements made in this area since the 1980s.

Till the 80s, Nitric Oxide (NO) was largely known as an air pollutant. Later, it was discovered to be a bio-messenger, involved in vital physiological and pathological processes.

Prof Ferid Murad, currently a professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, George Washington University, is expected to deliver the keynote address at the symposium, which will be attended by international experts in Nitric Oxide biology, along with researchers and scientists from all over India.

Nitric Oxide, designated as the molecule of the year way back in 1992, is said to be a unique bio-signaller, capable of passing through cell membranes and regulating cellular functions. Pioneering insights of the role of NO in cellular pathways and disease biology have paved way for several scientific and medical breakthroughs.

Prof Murad shared the Nobel Prize in 1998 for discovering the biological role of NO as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system, causing the dilation of blood vessels.

The event will also bring in speakers including Prof Ferric C Fang, (University of Washington, USA), Prof David A Wink, (National Cancer Institute, Bethesda Maryland, USA), Prof Arthur L Burnett, (The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland), Prof Jon Lundberg, (Karolinska Institute, Sweden), Dr Vasily A Yakovlev, (Virginia Commonwealth University, USA) and Dr Pradeep Kachroo (University of Kentucky, USA).

The symposium will provide a great opportunity for young researchers to interact with global experts. Lectures and presentations at the symposium are planned to cover the role of NO in the pathogenesis and treatment of tuberculosis, viral infections, hypertension, cardiac ischemia, diabetes, cancer, neuro-degenerative diseases, reproductive disorders and plant diseases.

This event is said to be the first collaborative program between RGCB and SRIBS.