Scientists mourn death of Dr Mohan Wani, director of National Centre for Cell Science

According to Dr Shekhar Mande, former director-general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dr Mohan Wani was one of the finest cell biologists in the country.

“He was initially trained as a veterinarian, the training which helped him to address critical problems of modern biomedical sciences through tools of cell biology. He joined NCCS very early, soon after the institute was established. His contributions in bone regeneration have been well received by peers all over the world,” Dr Mande said. “As the director of the NCCS, Pune, he brought new energy to the institute and relentlessly worked towards collaborations between clinicians and basic biomedical scientists. His ever-smiling personality and mild mannerism made him a dear friend of all around him.”

Dr Mande further said that Dr Wani would be missed by all.

“He was a very fine scientist and this news of his passing away is very very sad,” said Dr GC Mishra, a former director of the NCCS.

Dr Wani was appointed director of the NCCS, a premier research institute under the Department of Biotechnology of the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2022. He completed his master’s in veterinary surgery from Nagpur Veterinary College. Thereafter, he obtained his PhD in human medicine from St George’s Hospital Medical School, University of London. He was also a fellow of prestigious science academies like the Indian National Science Academy, National Academy of Sciences India, National Academy of Veterinary Sciences and the National Academy of Medical Sciences.

His research work was published in several high-impact international journals and he has mentored scores of PhD, medical and veterinary students and postdoctoral fellows. He was a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Commonwealth Fellowship, BM Birla Science Prize and the National Bioscience Award.

The NCCS has been carrying out cutting-edge research in various domains such as cell and cancer biology, infectious diseases and immunology, stem cell and regenerative medicine, structural biology and bioinformatics.

Dr Wani has made significant research contributions in understanding the regulation of cellular and molecular pathophysiology of important skeletal and autoimmune diseases, including osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. His group has also contributed to stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.