Swarn Nityanand obtained her MD (Medicine) from King Georges Medical Colledge, Luknow (1960). She was a Research Fellow in Cardiology at Harvard Medical School (1958-59). Her research interests were development of new drugs for hyperlipidemias and related disorders. She established a battery of models for the critical role of experimental models simulating human disease. She demonstrated that simultaneous administration of adrenalin with the atherosclerotic agents greatly accelerated the speed and severity of atherogenic process. She jointly developed Gugulipid, a hypolipidemic agent from ethyl acetate extract of guggul, resin from Commiphora mukul. She also established the Clinical studies capability at CDRI. Centre was accredited by WHO for serum lipid analysis. Dr Swarn Nityanand was the recipient of Shree Dhanwantari Prize of INSA(1996) and the VASVIK Award.

Sudha Gangal obtained her PhD under the guidance of Dr. Kamal Ranadive at Indian Cancer Research Centre (1963). She went to University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, for post-doctoral research on NIH fellowship. Her research there was on expression of H-2 antigens in mouse cell lines grown in vitro. She established Cancer Immunology Division at CRI. Her area of research included immunology of oral cancer. She established several oral cancer cell lines in vitro. She started Hybridoma Laboratory in 1980. She developed monocloncal antibodies to oral cancer cells and myloid leukemic cells. While she was Research Director, Wadia Children’s Hospital, Mumbai, she established Genetic Clinic, to boost the programme of mutation analysis for prenatal diagnosis of Thalassemia. She served as President of Indian Women Scientist’s Association (IWSA), Indian Immunology Society, and Indian Association of Cancer Research. She was awarded with Raja Ravi Sher Singh Memorial Award of ICMR (1974) and Ranbaxy Foundation Award (1981).