Puducherry: Prof. P. Prakash Babu, Vice-Chancellor of Pondicherry University, was conferred the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' by the Bioinformatics and Drug Discovery Society (BIDDS) during the inaugural session of the International Conference-cum-Workshop on Global Summit on Innovative Drug Design, Discovery and Translational Research. The event was jointly organised by the Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, and BIDDS.

The honour recognises Prof. Babu's outstanding contributions to neuroscience research, drug discovery, and academic leadership. Appointed Vice-Chancellor by President Droupadi Murmu in March 2025, Prof. Babu delivered a Lifetime Award Lecture highlighting his pioneering studies on the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) and its role in protecting the central nervous system. He explained how BBB disruption during diseases like stroke and cerebral malaria leads to neurodegeneration and cognitive deficits and discussed experimental therapies showing promise in mitigating such damage.

The conference also featured addresses by eminent scientists including Dr. Dinakar M. Salunke, former Director of ICGEB, and Prof. Sanjeev Kumar Singh, Secretary General of BIDDS. The event concluded with a vote of thanks from Organising Secretary Dr. S. Mohane Coumar, reaffirming the university's commitment to advancing translational research and innovation.