Dr. Pragasam Viswanathan is a deserving nominee for the Sanders Award for his outstanding contributions to the field of renal research and probiotics. He has been working on understanding and preventing kidney stone formation, diabetic nephropathy and acute kidney injury for more than a decade. He has received several grants and awards for his research, including an ICMR grant for preparing probiotic consortia for calcium oxalate stone formers. He has published more than 100 papers in reputed journals and conferences, and has mentored many students and researchers. He was also the dean of the School of Bio Sciences and Technology at VIT University, Vellore, where he leads a team of dedicated faculty and staff. He is a pioneer in the use of Oxalobacter formigenes, a human gut commensal that can degrade oxalate, as a next-generation probiotic for the management of calcium oxalate kidney stones. He has demonstrated the efficacy and safety of this probiotic in animal models and human trials. He has also explored the potential of other natural products, such as garlic, chandraprabhavati and curcumin, for their nephroprotective effects. He is a visionary leader and a passionate researcher who has made significant impacts on the health and well-being of millions of people suffering from kidney diseases. He has received several grants and awards for his probiotic product development projects from various funding agencies, such as ICMR, DBT, DST and SERB3. He has also filed patents.