Chandigarh: Dr Kusum Sharma, professor in the department of medical microbiology and nodal officer for extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) at PGIMER, has been selected for the prestigious National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) Women in Medicine Award for 2026.The national honour recognises her two-decade-long research dedicated to solving complex diagnostic challenges in extra-pulmonary TB, which targets organs outside the lungs like the brain, eyes, abdomen, and bones. She will receive a scroll of honour on Oct 10 at the NAMSCON 2026 convocation at SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu.Diagnosing extra-pulmonary TB is notoriously difficult due to low bacterial concentrations in tissue samples, frequently causing treatment delays. Dr Sharma’s team bridged genetic research with clinical testing to eliminate these diagnostic bottlenecks.Key innovations developed under her leadership include a patented multiplex PCR test that speeds up detection of bacterial DNA in brain, eye, and gut TB, which was internationally validated at the US-based Jacksonville State Laboratory. To assist remote clinics lacking full laboratory infrastructure, she pioneered portable, battery-operated testing methods using magnetic beads and LAMP technology. Additionally, Dr Sharma led the first global report on drug resistance in ocular TB, establishing clinical guidelines used by eye specialists worldwide. Under the ‘Make in India’ initiative, her team validated indigenous diagnostic platforms like the Truenat MTB-plus test while integrating advanced technologies—such as CRISPR-Cas12a and Whole Genome Sequencing—to detect drug-resistant strains rapidly.
