IBC2 EMBO-Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Santosh Kumar Kuncha was awarded the  INSA Medal For Young Scientists by the Indian National Science Academy. The INSA Medal is one of the highest recognition for young researchers in India.

Dr. Kuncha's work at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, India has revealed important aspects on how proteome fidelity is maintain by proofreading factors during translation of the genetic code. His work on chiral proofreading factor, D-aminoacyl-tRNA deacylase (DTD) has also led to the identification of a crucial Animalia-specific proofreading factor, Animalia-specific tRNA deacylase (ATD), which is implicated in the evolution of multicellular organisms. Very recently, he has also contributed to the development of a RNA-extraction independent dry swab COVID-19 diagnosis.