Scientist Fyyaz Siddiqui, who hails from Hyderabad, has made a very important discovery in the field reproductive biology. He has identified the root cause of preeclampsia — a leading cause for death among pregnant women.
Says Fyyaz, “Preeclampsia is a condition characterised by unexpected rise in blood pressure and compromised kidney function after mid-pregnancy.” As there is no way of diagnosing this before the clinical signs appear, it becomes extremely difficult during pregnancy, he adds.
The discovery is thus very important for reproductive biology. “It will have a huge impact on maternal, fetal and neonatal health. Hopefully, we will be able to go forward and find a more permanent and preventive cure. This is the first step in the right direction,” he says. His study was also published in the high impact American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
The road to this point wasn’t without its share of difficulties. “But my love for scientific research always kept me going. I always wanted to get into research from a very young age.” After completing his schooling in Hyderabad, he pursued his Masters in Chemistry from a national university. He then took up the role of a research fellow at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT).
He then relocated to Canada, where he studied Pharmaceutical Quality Analysis and Assurance, and went on to work for a pharma company for a few more years. But, yet again, his love for research took him back to college to pursue another Master’s degree, in Medical Biophysics from Western University. “I moved to the United States and began working as a scientist. But due to unexpected family issues I had to go back to Canada.”
That’s when he went back to Western University and spent considerable time in research in various departments including Physiology, Medical Biology and Anatomy to bio-medical streams including Vascular Biology to Epidermal Biology.
Fyyaz is also open to working with Indian scientists. He says, “India has a bright future in science. Yes, I must admit that we are lacking in terms of innovation and infrastructure, but in the years to come we will notice considerable change. I’m open to collaborating with them in the future.”
