Harkishan Singh | |
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 Harkishan Singh, Indian pharmaceutical chemist and academic | |
| Born | (1928-11-25)25 November 1928 Lyallpur District, India |
| Died | 20 March 2020(2020-03-20) (aged 91) |
| Education |
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| Occupation | Pharmaceutical Chemist |
| Notable work | Neuromuscular BlockerCandocuronium (Chandonium) |
| Spouse | Gian Kaur |
| Children | Tript P Singh (son)Dr. Manjeet Kaur (daughter) |
| Relatives | Harinder S Panaser (son in law) |
| Awards | Padma Shri (2017) |
| Honours |
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| Website | www.profharkishansinghfoundation.orgwww.profharkishansingh.com |
Harkishan Singh (25 November 1928 – 20 March 2020)[1] was anIndian pharmaceutical chemist and professor atPanjab University known for his research and teaching in India, United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and China. Singh specialized inorganic chemistry,medicinal chemistry, and the study of natural products, making contributions to each field. During his career, he led the research group responsible for developingcandocuronium iodide (also known as chandonium iodide, HS-310), a clinically useful syntheticazasteroid designed as askeletal muscle relaxant.[2]
The research group led by Singh atPanjab University,Chandigarh, designed and synthesizedcandocuronium iodide, initially calledchandonium iodide. Pharmacological testing was conducted at theUniversity of Strathclyde.
Toxicity studies conducted at theCentral Drug Research Institute (CDRI),Lucknow, did not reveal any adverse effects. Furthermore, clinical studies for the new compound were also completed at the CDRI. Additionally, the proceedings of the symposium on the clinical testing of candocuronium iodide were published in theJournal of Anaesthesiology Clinical Pharmacology, 10, 109–151 (1994).[2]
As a result of these comprehensive studies, the drug, a non-depolarizingneuromuscular blocker with a short duration of action, was approved by theIndian Ministry of Health for manufacturing and clinical use.The World Health Organization assigned the drug the International Nonproprietary Name (INN): candocuronium iodide.
Singh lectured on his research at several institutions and conferences inIndia,[3] theUnited States,Canada, theUnited Kingdom, andChina. He delivered lectures at theHarvard School of Medicine and at the International Symposium on Molecular Structure, sponsored by theInternational Union of Crystallography in Beijing.
Singh was also a science historian, and he examined the history of pharmaceutical developments in India in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The topics of his history research includedpharmacopoeias andformularies, pharmaceutical education, pharmacy practice, biographies of pharmaceutical luminaries, and pharmaceutical journalism. He published more than fifty articles.
In addition to his scientific and historical research papers, Singh authored or co-authored eighteen books[4] and nearly two dozen review articles, including several book chapters. He wrote extensively on educational, scientific, historical, and professional issues. He published more than 300 works. Singh supervised nearly 50 masters anddoctoral theses, supporting the growth of many pharmaceutical scientists. He also published 125 original scientific research papers, and had 14patents granted.
Professor Singh served on several academic, scientific, professional and governmental bodies. This included the Committee of Education in Medicinal Chemistry of theInternational Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), which prepared the Report on the International Education of Medicinal Chemists (IUPAC Technical Reports Number 13; 1974).
His affiliations with several scientific and professional organizations included emeritus membership of theAmerican Chemical Society, life memberships of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association andAssociation of Pharmaceutical Teachers of India, and memberships of the American Institute of History of Pharmacy and British Society for History of Pharmacy.
Singh was inducted into theInternational Society for the History of Pharmacy.
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