Perdur Radhakantha Adiga

[6][note 2] P. R. Adiga, born on 5 May 1935 at Barkur, a small hamlet in Udupi district of the south Indian state of Karnataka as one among the ten children of his parents, did his early schooling at local schools and earned a master's degree in biochemistry from the University of Kerala in the neighboring state.

[7] Subsequently, he joined the Indian Institute of Science as a research associate and pursued his doctoral studies under the guidance of P. S. Sarma, who headed the department of biochemistry, to secure the degree in 1963.

[1] Adiga's early researches were focused on the growth and intermediary metabolism of fungi and insects and how they were impacted by the trace elements and metal toxicity.

[7] His work on Lathyrus sativus, commonly known as grass pea, revealed that N-oxalyl-diaminopropionic acid, a neurotoxin present in the plant caused the neurological disorder of neurolathyrism in humans.

[22] His award orations include the Professor M. R. N. Prasad Memorial lecture of the Indian National Science Academy in 1992.