New York: A well-known Indian American cancer specialist has received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Association of Indian Scientists in Cancer Research (AAISCR). Inder Verma, American Cancer Society professor in the Laboratory of Genetics at the famed Salk Institute in San Diego, California, was conferred the award recently at AAISCR's 15th annual meeting in San Diego.

Verma, 60, is renowned for his contributions in gene therapy research, which changed the understanding of the application of gene therapy in cancer and others diseases, according to the association.

India-born Verma received his master's degree from Lucknow University and his doctorate from Israel. After postdoctoral study at MIT, he joined the faculty of the Salk Institute at the young age of 26.

He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine and is past president of the American Society for Gene Therapy.

He was invited by the Government of India to join a task force on biotechnology. He has travelled to India every year for the past 37 years to lecture on gene therapy and to advise researchers and students.

Earlier this year, the Vilcek Foundation awarded him its 2008 prize in biomedical science given annually to foreign-born individuals for their extraordinary contributions to society in the US.

Founded in 1994 as a non-profit organisation AAISCR seeks to promote peer support and scientific interactions, recognizing scientific excellence, and helping translate scientific discoveries into clinical applications. It is working with the Indian Association of Cancer Research to open communication with cancer research scientists in India. IANS