Samba Reddy, PhD, RPh, is a Regents Professor of neuroscience and experimental therapeutics, engineering medicine, biomedical engineering, and veterinary integrative biosciences at Texas A&M University. He is the founding director of the Texas A&M Institute of Pharmacology and Neurotherapeutics.
Reddy completed his pharmacy degree at Kakatiya University and PhD at Panjab University in India where he studied neurosteroids and how they are expressed differently between men and women. His impressive body of work on the topic led to his recruitment by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a postdoctoral fellowship. At the NIH, Reddy began a career of studying neurosteroids and their effect on certain types of epilepsy and women’s brain disorders. Reddy worked at the NIH until 2002 when he accepted a faculty position at North Carolina State University, and in 2008 he joined the faculty at the Texas A&M School of Medicine.
Throughout his two decades-long career, Reddy’s lab has made pioneering contributions in developing neurosteroid therapy to treat brain diseases. This transformational research led to the development of neurosteroid therapy for epilepsy and women’s health, including the introduction of two pharmaceutical treatments: brexanolone, the first U.S. FDA-approved medicine for postpartum depression, and ganaxolone, the first neurosteroid for epilepsy.
Another groundbreaking anticonvulsant product, currently in Phase 3 trials for both status epilepticus and nerve agents, has received support through a $51 million award from BARDA, highlighting the remarkable impact of his research on enhancing global healthcare for millions.
His work to develop new neurosteroid treatments continues and one of his current projects is to develop a treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI). Due to its potential for commercial impact, his TBI neurosteroid compound technology received a Translational Investment Fund (TIF) award in 2022 to advance its development.
Dr. Reddy has received prestigious awards and recognition for his work, including the NIH Research Excellence Award, the Association of Biotechnology and Pharmacy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Texas A&M Association of Former Students’ Distinguished Achievement Award, and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Global Leader Award.
In a January 2023 interview with Texas A&M Health, Reddy states: “The greatest goal in research is to provide transformational outcomes – seeing the product you helped make on shelves in the pharmacy and benefiting people.” Dr. Reddy’s research has already had a profound impact in advancing new drugs from the bench to the market.
Learn more about Dr. Reddy in these related news stories:
Texas A&M research leads to first drug for postpartum depression
Texas A&M researcher helps develop first treatment for a refractory type of epilepsy
Texas A&M researcher awarded DOD grant to develop drug for brain injuries
