Four Indian Americans Named Among 100 Leading Global Thinkers

WASHINGTON — Indian American Nina Tandon, Rajan Anandan, Ayesha Khanna and Zainab Ghadiyali have been featured in Foreign Policy magazine’s recent list of 100 Leading Global Thinkers, according to an IANS report.

The list, released Dec. 1, profiles people who have generated ideas that could promise humankind a better future. It features categories including Decision-Makers, Challengers, Innovators, Advocates, Artists, Healers, Stewards, Chroniclers and Moguls.

Tandon, the co-founder of New York-based EpiBone, was featured among the Innovators, which singled out those whose work has advanced “progress in global health, human rights, security and more.”

The magazine said Tandon was featured “for healing broken bones by growing new ones.” Typically, to reconstruct bone, surgeons must take bone either from somewhere else in a patient’s body, necessitating a double surgery, or from an outside source, such as a prosthesis or a donor.

But Tandon has created a third way: growing new bones. A patient’s stem cells are placed in a bone-shaped mold, which is then put into a special chamber that simulates the body’s temperature, nutrient composition and other conditions.

After three weeks, the cells have essentially formed a new bone. This method requires only one surgery and avoids implanting foreign materials, thereby reducing pain and complications, Foreign Policy noted.

EpiBone has successfully replaced the jaw of a pig and is gearing up to start its first clinical trials, to be held within two years.

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