Who is Har Gobind Khorana? His childhood, his achievements and more

There is almost no life story as inspiring as the life lived by Har Gobind Khorana. He was born and raised in a poor neighborhood by a struggling family. His breakthrough in life was made possible because he used what he had, his intelligence. Gobind was a bookworm in school and this helped him win scholarships, which enabled him to pursue higher education. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees. Today, even after his death, Khorana is celebrated as a renowned biochemist. Here are some facts about him.

Who exactly is Har Gobind Khorana?

Har Gobind Khorana was an Indian-American biochemist specializing in molecular biology. He is very famous today as a scientist who discovered so much information about human genetics, and most of his work has been focused on human cells. Khorana is also credited with being the first to demonstrate the role of nucleotides in protein synthesis, a process which is now widespread in knowledge.

His childhood and upbringing

Khorana was born on January 9, 1922 in Raipur, the province of Punjab is a small village of a hundred inhabitants in British India. He was born the youngest of five children of GanpatRai Khorana and Krishna Devi Khorana. Har Gobind Khorana’s father was a village accountant. Although his family is poor, his father always ensured that his five children were in school. Khorana’s family was the only literate in their village, occupied by about a hundred people.

Har Gobind Khorana began his education in his village, where he took lessons under the trees. He later joined the class when he entered high school. He studied at DAV High School in Multan, West Punjab. Gobind’s intelligence was recognized in high school, which led the Indian government to grant him a scholarship to study at university. A graduate of the University of the Punjab, he received his first degree in 1943. He then obtained a master’s degree from the University of the Punjab, still funded by scholarship. After graduating with a master’s degree, the Indian government sponsored him to pursue a doctorate. from the University of Liverpool. Khorana in 1948 obtained his doctorate certificate in Biography chemistry.

Career

In 1952, Har Gobind Khorana agreed to work with the University of British Columbia Research Council. Even though the facilities provided by the university were not enough, Khorana was content with the fact that he had his own laboratory at work and was free to do the kind of research he had always wanted to do. During his stay in British Columbia, the American-Indian scientist worked on nucleic acids and the synthesis of biomolecules.

Eight years later, Khorana began his enzyme research after agreeing to co-direct the Enzyme Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin. It was at the University of Wisconsin that he completed the work that ultimately won him the Nobel Prize.

Khorana was called Alfred P. in 1970 Sloan professor of biology and chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He retained his position until his retirement in 2007. In 1972, Har Gobind Khorana constructed the very first artificial gene, and after a few years he managed to make it work in a bacterial cell. His research and discoveries made genetic engineering possible through the synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

Family

Khorana was married to a Swiss named EstherElizabeth Sabler. The couple first met in Switzerland before settling down as husband and wife in 1952. Together they had three children, Julia Elizabeth, born May 4, 1953; Emily Anne, born October 18, 1954; and Dave Roy, born July 26, 1958. However, the couple lost their second child, Emily Anne, in 1979, after whom Esther also died. After Khorana lost his wife, he never remarried.

Life achievements and more

• In 1968 Khorana received a Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine, which he shared with Robert W. Holley and Marshall W. Nirenberg.
• He constructed the first synthetic gene in 1972.
• Har Gobind Khorana received a Willard Gibbs Award in 1974.
• He proved that cells received the nucleotide code in groups of three, called codons.
• In 1980, Har Gobind Khorana received an international award from the Gairdner Foundation.
• He also received a Louisa Gross Horwitz Award from Columbia University.

Cause of death

After 89 years of a fulfilling life, the Professor Emeritus died of natural causes at his home in Concord, Massachusetts on November 9, 2011. The late professor is survived by his children, namely Dave Roy and Julia Elizabeth.