Dr Geeta Shroff is the founder and medical director of Nutech Mediworld, the first facility in the world to offer human embryonic stem cell therapy.

She received the award for her pioneering work in the treatment of incurable/terminal diseases using human embryonic stem cells.

Her groundbreaking work over the past 15 years has helped place India on the map of medical innovation.

"For years, finding effective treatment for those medical conditions labeled as 'incurable' or 'terminal' was considered a distant dream. But now, with significant development in the field of stem cells this dream has become a reality," said Dr Geeta Shroff.

Human embryonic stem cells are the new frontiers in the field of medical science.

They have the advantage of being able to develop into almost every type of cell found in the body and thus offer more promise in treating diseases than other forms of stem cells derived from fetuses, umbilical-cord blood and bone marrow.

This technology is being used for treatment of many incurable diseases ranging from Spinal cord injury, Diabetes, ALS, Cerebral palsy, Stroke, Parkinson's disease and others.