Agamx at 15:13, 5 March 2026

2026-03-05T15:13:27Z

New page

{{short description|Indian bacterial geneticist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox scientist
| image= Dr. Manjula Reddy.tif
| name = Manjula Reddy
| doctoral_advisor = [[Jayaraman Gowrishankar]]
| alma_mater = [[St Francis College for Women]] (BSc)
[[University of Hyderabad]] (MSc)
[[Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology]] (PhD)
| known_for = Discovery of a key hydrolytic enzyme involved in bacterial cell wall growth
| fields = [[Microbiology]], Bacterial Genetics
| awards = [[Infosys Prize]] in Life Sciences (2019)
| Institutions =
}}
'''Manjula Reddy''' (born 1965)<ref name=":1" /> is an Indian bacterial geneticist. She is the chief scientist at the [[Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology]] in [[Hyderabad]], India. In 2019, she won the [[Infosys Prize#Laureates in Life Sciences|Infosys Prize in Life Sciences]] for her work on bacterial cell wall structure and synthesis. She is a Fellow of the Telangana Academy of Sciences and the [[Indian Academy of Sciences]].

== Education and career ==
Manjula Reddy earned her PhD from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in 2002. She started her own lab at the institution in 2007.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|last1=Jayaraj|first1=Nandita|last2=Shah|first2=Mrinal|date=2020-02-07|title=Meet the two women scientists who won the Infosys Prize this year|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/meet-the-two-women-scientists-who-won-the-infosys-prize-this-year/article30760728.ece|access-date=2020-06-28|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>
== Research ==
Manjula Reddy conducts research on bacterial [[Cell wall|cell walls]].<ref name=":5" />

She identified a novel "spacemaker" enzyme encoded by the [[open reading frame]] called MepK in ''[[Escherichia coli]].'' She found that this enzyme hydrolyses certain cross-links in [[peptidoglycan]] thereby allowing the bacterial cell wall to expand.<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last1=Chodisetti|first1=Pavan Kumar|last2=Reddy|first2=Manjula|date=2019-04-16|title=Peptidoglycan hydrolase of an unusual cross-link cleavage specificity contributes to bacterial cell wall synthesis|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|language=en|volume=116|issue=16|pages=7825–7830|doi=10.1073/pnas.1816893116|pmc=6475434|issn=0027-8424|pmid=30940749|bibcode=2019PNAS..116.7825C |doi-access=free}}</ref> She aims to develop novel antimicrobials that can target the [[peptidoglycan]] synthesis pathway.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title=Infosys Prize - Laureates 2019 - Manjula Reddy|url=http://www.infosys-science-foundation.com/prize/laureates/2019/manjula-reddy.asp|access-date=2020-06-07|website=www.infosys-science-foundation.com}}</ref> She uses the model organisms ''[[Mycobacterium smegmatis]]'' and [[Escherichia coli]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=CCMB {{!}} Research-Group|url=http://www.ccmb.res.in/People/Research-Group/Manjula-Reddy|access-date=2020-06-07|website=www.ccmb.res.in}}</ref>

She was part of the team of scientists who patented the process for identifying mutagens and anti-mutagens. This process was patented from 1999 to 2018 in the United States. The other scientists in the team were Jayaraman Gowrishankar and Shanti M. Bharatan.<ref>{{Cite patent|title=Process for identifying mutagens and antimutagens|gdate=1998-10-19|country=US|number=5981191
|assign=[[Council of Scientific & Industrial Research]]|inventor1-last=Reddy|inventor1-first=Manjula|inventor2-last=Gowrishankar|inventor2-first=Jayaraman|inventor3-last=Bharatan|inventor3-first=Shanti M.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=CCMB {{!}} Patents|url=http://www.ccmb.res.in/Patents|access-date=2020-06-07|website=www.ccmb.res.in|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607163003/http://www.ccmb.res.in/Patents}}</ref>

== Awards and honors ==
* [[Infosys Prize#Laureates in Life Sciences|Infosys Prize in Life Sciences]] (2019)<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-11-08|title=CCMB scientist Manjula Reddy wins 2019 Infosys Prize for Life Sciences|url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/ccmb-scientist-manjula-reddy-wins-2019-infosys-prize-life-sciences-562121|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-28|website=www.indiatvnews.com|language=en}}</ref>
* [[Asian Scientist 100]], ''[[Asian Scientist]]'' (2020)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.asianscientist.com/as100/ |title=The Asian Scientist 100 |author=  |date= |website= |publisher= [[Asian Scientist]] |access-date= 13 March 2025 |quote= |language= }}</ref>
* Fellow of the [[Indian Academy of Sciences]] (2020)<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Fellowship {{!}} Indian Academy of Sciences|url=https://fellows.ias.ac.in/profile/v/FL2020019|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-07|website=www.ias.ac.in}}</ref>
* Fellow of the Telangana Academy of Sciences<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Telangana Academy of Sciences (TAS) Hyderabad|url=http://www.tasc.org.in/updated-fellows.html|access-date=2020-06-07|website=www.tasc.org.in}}</ref>
* Editorial board member of the [[Journal of Bacteriology]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Editorial Board {{!}} Journal of Bacteriology|url=https://jb.asm.org/content/board-editors|access-date=2020-06-07|website=jb.asm.org}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
She has stated in an interview that her father, Mohan Reddy, and her mother were supportive of her career as a scientist.<ref name=":3">{{Citation|title=Interview with Infosys Award 2019 Winner - Smt. Manjula Reddy - CCMB - Trishakti - Acchamga Telugu| date=12 November 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0vJhZQo3D8|language=en|access-date=2020-06-07}}</ref> She is married to a cardiologist and has two sons.<ref name=":3" />
== Selected publications ==
{{external media|float=right|video1=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlaqsjhsWuo

Dr.Manjula Reddy presents her research at the first edition of the Infosys Prize 2019 Winners’ Symposium}}

* Chodisetti, Pavan Kumar, and Manjula Reddy. "Peptidoglycan hydrolase of an unusual cross-link cleavage specificity contributes to bacterial cell wall synthesis." ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences'' 116.16 (2019): 7825-7830.<ref name=":6" />
* Singh, Santosh Kumar, et al. "Regulated proteolysis of a cross-link–specific peptidoglycan hydrolase contributes to bacterial morphogenesis." ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences'' 112.35 (2015): 10956-10961.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Singh|first1=Santosh Kumar|last2=Parveen|first2=Sadiya|last3=SaiSree|first3=L.|last4=Reddy|first4=Manjula|date=2015-09-01|title=Regulated proteolysis of a cross-link–specific peptidoglycan hydrolase contributes to bacterial morphogenesis|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|language=en|volume=112|issue=35|pages=10956–10961|doi=10.1073/pnas.1507760112|issn=0027-8424|pmid=26283368|pmc=4568209 |bibcode=2015PNAS..11210956S |doi-access=free}}</ref>
* Reddy, Manjula. "Role of FtsEX in cell division of Escherichia coli: viability of ftsEX mutants is dependent on functional SufI or high osmotic strength." ''Journal of bacteriology'' 189.1 (2007): 98-108.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Reddy|first=Manjula|date=2007-01-01|title=Role of FtsEX in Cell Division of Escherichia coli: Viability of ftsEX Mutants Is Dependent on Functional SufI or High Osmotic Strength|journal=Journal of Bacteriology|language=en|volume=189|issue=1|pages=98–108| pmc=1797223| doi=10.1128/JB.01347-06|issn=0021-9193|pmid=17071757|doi-access=free}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reddy, Manjula}}
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women scientists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian scientists]]
[[Category:Indian geneticists]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Indian Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:University of Hyderabad alumni]]

Manjula Reddy - Revision history

Agamx at 15:13, 5 March 2026