Bibudhendra Sarkar

Dr. Sarkar was the first basic scientist recruited by SickKids in 1964. He pioneered translational research in SickKids in collaboration with clinicians crossing the boundaries between basic science and clinical medicine. The outcome of this initiative resulted in the discovery of copper-histidine treatment for Menkes Disease, a genetic disease-causing neurodegeneration and death by the age of three yrs. As Head of Structural Biology Program in SickKids during 1990-2002, Sarkar developed a major centre of excellence in structural biology research in Canada. For the last 21 years Sarkar has led a team of international scientists working in the villages of South and Southeast Asia to mitigate catastrophic public health crises caused by drinking underground water contaminated with arsenic and other toxic metals.

Research

In Menkes disease, copper-histidine effectively supplies copper to cells. Sarkar hypothesizes that the reverse strategy might be effective in Wilson disease: namely to supply excess histidine so that it may remove copper directly from hepatocytes. He anticipates that such treatment would be safer and more effective than existing treatment modalities. In 1997 he established a team of international volunteer scientists working in the villages of South and Southeast Asia where millions of people are ingesting arsenic and other toxic metals through naturally contaminated drinking water from underground. He is continuing the investigation to probe the poisoning by toxic metals in our global environment to address the health crisis management efforts.

Education and experience

• 1957: M. Pharm. (Pharm. Chem), Banares University, Varanasi, India.
• 1957–1959: ICMR Fellow, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India.
• 1959–1964: PhD (Biochemistry), University of Southern Calif, Los Angeles, U.S.
• 1964–1967: Investigator, The Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
• 1967–1968: Assistant Scientist, The Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
• 1967–1969: Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
• 1969–1974: Associate Scientist, The Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
• 1969–1978: Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
• 1974–2002: Senior Scientist, The Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
• 1976: Visiting Scholar (Quantum Biochemistry), Institute de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Université de Paris, Paris, France.
• 1977: Visiting Scholar (Protein Chemistry), Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, U.K.
• 1978–2002: Professor, Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
• 1990–1997: Head, Division of Biochemistry Research, The Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON.
• 1991–1993: Member: Research Advisory Committee, The Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON.
• 1994–1996: Member: Advisory Committee to the Chair, Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
• 1998–2002: Head, Structural Biology and Biochemistry, The Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON.
• 1999–2002: Director, Advanced Protein Technology Center, The Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON.
• 2003–present: Senior Scientist Emeritus, The Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON.
• 2003–present: Professor Emeritus, Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.

Achievements

• 1964: Blue Key Award (Scholarship and Leadership) of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.
• 1965–1970: Medical Research Scholar Award (Canada).
• 1966: Discovered Copper-Histidine in human blood.
• 1975–1978: Councillor, Chemical Institute of Canada.
• 1976–1978: Advisory Committee Member, Scientific Affairs of the Chemical Institute of Canada.
• 1976: First therapeutic application of Copper-Histidine to treat Menkes disease patients at SickKids.
• 1977: USSR Academy of Sciences invitation to lecture in Academies/Universities in Moscow, Pouschino, Novosibirsk, Taskhkent and Leningrad as a Visiting Professor
• 1977: Nuffield Foundation Award (U.K.).
• 1977: Member of the High Table, King's College, University of Cambridge, U.K.
• 1981–1982: Chairman: Biological Chemistry Division, Chemical Institute of Canada.
• 1982: Invited to speak at the Nobel Symposium on Inorganic Biochemistry (Topic: Copper-Histidine and associated works) under the auspices of the Nobel Foundation, Sweden. Nobel Symposia is a program that holds symposia "devoted to areas of science where breakthroughs around the world are occurring".
• 1984: Visiting Professor: Université de Paris Nord, Paris, France.
• 1986: Elected Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada (FCIC).
• 1988: Chinese Academy of Sciences invitation to lecture in Academies/Universities in Beijing, Guiyang and Hangzhou as a Visiting Professor.
• 1989–2019: Founder and Chair: Andrew Sass-Kortsak Award for excellence in research by post-doctoral fellows of the Research Institute of The Hospital for Sick Children
• 1996: Commencement Speaker, University of Akdeniz, Antalya (Turkey).
• 1996–1997: Associate Chair, Family Category of Capital Campaign for Research, The Hospital for Sick Children (Total Capital Campaign $82 million).
• 1998: Honorary Professor, Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India.
• 2000: Visiting Professor (European Union) University of Ioannina, Greece.
• 2002: Visiting Professor, Singapore National University, Singapore.
• 2003: Research Institute (SickKids) Citizenship Award of the Year.
• 2004: Received R. C. Mehrotra Award for Science from the Vice President of India at the International Conference on Chemistry Biology Interface: Synergistic New Frontiers, New Delhi, India.
• 2005: “Annual SARKAR Lecture” was established in Dr. Sarkar’s honour to invite distinguished scientists to give lectures in the Research Institute.
• 2006: Pryodaranjan Ray Memorial Award from the Indian Chemical Society for outstanding environmental work in the Indian Subcontinent.
• 2007–2010: Member: Task Force Nomenclature Committee of IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
• 2008: Founding Member of the Journal Metallomics (The Royal Society of Chemistry, U.K.).
• 2008: Visiting Professor, Hong Kong University, Hong Kong.
• 2010: Fellow of IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry).
• 2010: Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, U.K.
• 2010: Commemorative Plaque of Recognition, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh to recognize his mitigation efforts of arsenic health crisis in Bangladesh.
• 2017: Appointed Advisor to the Public Health Foundation of Bangladesh.
• 2020: Celebration in honour of Dr. Sarkar’s 55 years’ career in SickKids with a Special Symposium inviting national and international speakers.