Dr Mohan Rao’s major research contribution has been in the area of protein folding with special reference to lens protein and cataract formation. He has unraveled the details of the molecular chaperone-like activity of a-crystalline, a protein present in the lens, heart, brain and kidney. He has shown that this activity can be enhanced several fold, which has a potential to prevent or delay cataract and other protein-aggregation-related complications.