Pittsburgh Patrika January 2022

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The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 27 No 2, January 2022Dr. Raman Venkataramanan: A Portrait in HumilityBy Manjari Kulkarni, Upper St Clair, PAManjari Kulkarni was born and raised in Pittsburgh. She practices orthodonticsin the South Hills and lives with her family in Upper St Clair.Almost daily, the mild-mannered professor of Tamilorigin crossed my path as we began our days at theUniversity of Pittsburgh’s Salk Hall, the location of thePharmacy and Dental Schools. On several occasions, as werode the elevator, Dr. Venkat (whom my parents endearinglycall “the Pharmacy Venkat”) shared with me several life lessons,as he would with his own pharmacy students. Little did I know that thisquiet professor who I would often see smiling behind the lens of a cameraat big parties in social gatherings, is a hero among us.Dr. Raman Venkataramanan is Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences atthe University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. He received his B.Pharmfrom the University of Madras and M.Pharm from BITS, Pilani, India; andPh.D. from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.After a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Washington, hejoined the University of Pittsburgh in 1980 as faculty. The adage “Luckfavors the prepared,” applies to Dr. Venkat perfectly. In 1982 he was approachedto work with the world-renowned transplant surgeon, Dr. ThomasStarzl, to conduct clinical research on anti-rejection drugs for liver transplants.Cyclosporine was the most researched drug for anti-rejection then,and the biggest challenge in organtransplants was solving the problemof the rejection of the transplantedorgan by the recipient’s body.Venkat vividly recalls Dr.Dr. Starzl visiting him in hisoffice, holding a small bottle of achemical he had learned about at aconference in Japan. He asked Dr.Venkat if he knew what this bottleheld. Dr. Venkat knew this was apreliminary chemical studied as apossible anti-rejection drug for livertransplants. After this meeting, Dr.Starzl recruited Dr. Venkat to be alead researcher on this product. Thechemical, at that time, was called FK-12Dr. Venkat with Dr. Thomas Starzl, the surgeonwho pioneered liver transplants.
The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 27 No 2, January 2022900506. Dr. Venkat and his colleagues studied its use in small and largeanimal transplant models. Eventually, the chemical, called FK-506, becameknown as Tacrolimus, the primary immunosuppressive drug currentlyused in liver as well as other transplants. It is one of the few drugs toget the quickest FDA approval due to the efforts of Dr. Venkat and hiscolleagues. This work made Pittsburgh a leader in organ transplants. Dr.Venkat considers himself blessed that he directly worked with patients tosee how his efforts were helping transplant patients. Along the way, Dr.Venkat also published nearly 400 research papers.In October 2021, the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists(AAPS) honored Dr Venkat with its prestigious Distinguished ServiceAward, appreciating his lifetimeservice as a member of AAPS. Thiswas for him the culmination of astring of recognition he receivedfrom his peers. Details here: www.tinyurl.com/VenkataramananPeer-RecognitionInspired by his grandparents, Dr.Venkat chose healthcare as his careercalling. Unable get into medical13Dr. Venkat with his wife Padma, who heacknowledges as the “brainy one.”
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Pittsburgh Patrika January 2022

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