Biotecnika Times 1st September 2020 Edition - Download Full PDF

September 01, 2020 Vol. 04 No 146

WORLD’S FIRST CASE OF CORONAVIRUS REINFECTION REPORTED IN HONG KONG First Case Of Coronavirus Reinfection Reported In Hong Kong A healthy man in his 30s has been reported by the Hong Kong scientists to be reinfected with the novel coronavirus four and half months after his first infection.

Genome sequencing has shown that the virus strains are clearly different, proving it the first-ever case of reinfection of COVID-19 in the world.

But based on the case of one patient, it is not possible to jump to conclusions, warned the World Health Organization. Experts also said that reinfections could be rare and shouldn’t be serious.

By now, more than 23 million people around the globe are infected with the novel coronavirus.

Usually, the bodies of infected people fight off the virus and develop an immune response that can protect them from reinfection.

The most seriously ill patients were found to have the strongest immune response.

Despite the first case of coronavirus reinfection, how strong is the immunity or protection, and how long it lasts is still an unanswered question. A larger study will be required on those people recovered from coronavirus infection to find out further, said the World Health Organization.

The findings reported by the scientists at the University of Hong Kong, due to be published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, says the man with no symptoms tested positive for the virus a second time during a saliva test in airport screening, four and half months after he spent 14 days in the

hospital recovering from the first infection.

Brendan Wren, professor of microbial pathogenesis, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said this is a very rare example of reinfection, and it shouldn’t invalidate the global effort to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. Scientists had already expected that the virus would mutate over time.

Seeing one case of reinfection is not that surprising even if it is a very rare occurrence, given the number of global infections to date, said Dr. Jeffrey Barrett, senior scientific consultant for the Covid-19 genome project at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. The second infection might not be that serious, and they don’t know if the man who was reported with the first case of coronavirus reinfection was infectious during the second episode.

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RESEARCHERS CHALLENGE MICHAELIS-MENTEN EQUATION New Updates On Michaelis-Menten equation Enzyme cascades are used by the cells to send signals, where one enzyme passes the signal to the next enzyme, and in such cascades, it is critical that the enzyme identifies the correct substrates to make sure that, for instance, a hormone triggers the appropriate cellular activities. The enzymes in such cascades like protein kinases are usually not amply specific on themselves, and also they consequently rely on various other proteins to physically connect them to the right substrates.

Magnus KjĂŚrgaard, first author of the study described that presently, signaling enzymes are defined with equations developed for metabolic enzymes, which make energy for our bodies, for instance, need to process many substrates per minute. On the other hand, signaling enzymes function as switches, and to have an effect, it just needs to convert a single substrate. Hence, describing signaling enzymes using the equation developed to explain metabolic enzymes would be less appropriate.

Using the Michaelis-Menten equation biochemists have been describing the enzyme activity for more than a century, the equation defines how activity raises with increased substrate equation.

How much substrate is present when the enzyme is connected to its substrate does not matter, rather, the rate of the reaction depends upon how the enzyme is linked to the substrate and thus on the connector molecule. Till now, there are no details on how the molecules’ structure affected the enzymatic reactions.

Mateusz Dyla, second author of the study said that usually, the question would be – what graph shape defines the enzyme activity?

However, there was another fundamental problem – What should be put instead of concentration on the X-axis?

Cellular signaling controlled by connector molecules Magnus Kjaergaard and Mateusz Dyla developed a model system where they could alter the association between the enzyme as well as the substrate, and the model was used to determine how the length of a flexible connector affects the first round of catalysis by the enzyme. Lastly, the study ended up with an equation that explains how the speed of the enzyme depends upon the connection between the substrate and the enzyme. This derived equation suggests that in controlling cellular signaling the connector molecules play an unnoticed role.

Additionally, which substrates the enzyme prefers is impacted by the link between enzyme and substrate. Similar looking substrates can be extremely different when only a single connected substrate is processed by the enzyme.

Magnus said that it is like the difference between how long it takes him to eat a single hotdog, and the number of hotdogs he can consume over a whole week, over a week, he will be limited by how fast he can digest it, and this is irrelevant to the time he takes to eat the first hotdog. As a result, both types of measurements provide different outcomes. So the first round of catalysis has to be focused to comprehend kinase switches.

This may have ramifications in the long-term, for the advancement of medicines targeting kinases in, for instance, cancer or any such diseases. In the future, it will be possible to develop medicines that additionally target

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September 01, 2020 Vol. 04 No 146

ARTIFICIAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS BREAKTHROUGH : PLANT LIKE ENERGY PRODUCING DEVICE CREATED Device To Produce Energy Like Plants Developed At Cambridge According to a team of Cambridge researchers, they have built a device that produces carbon-neutral fuel, marking a major breakthrough on the way to “artificial photosynthesis.�

The researchers said they could convert carbon dioxide, sunlight, and water into clean energy using the device wirelessly and without any outside electricity.

They hope that their discovery can be a step towards artificial photosynthesis, where sunlight can be converted into energy just like the plants do.

The first author of the study, Dr. Qian Wang from Cambridge’s Department of Chemistry, said in a statement that it was difficult to achieve artificial photosynthesis with a high degree of selectivity to convert sunlight into fuel as much as possible with minimum waste.

A “Photosheet� technology is being utilized in this new device.

The device generates formic acid and oxygen, which can be either be covered into hydrogen to provide clean energy or be stored as fuel.

into many problems, making the fuel harder to scale up and work with.

But the researchers said the new device is relatively stable and easier to make. It can produce reliable fuel in a more efficient way. But to produce the fuel in large quantities, it should be more efficient, and more work is required for that.

Professor Reisner said the new device that produces energy like plants might lead to sustainable and practical solar fuel production. The results were published in the journal Nature Energy.

Erwin Reisner, the paper’s senior author, said they want to cleanly produce a liquid duel that can be easily transported and stored. The device they created to produce energy like plants is just 20 square centimeters, but it should be easy to scale it up to several square meters, said the researchers. And this could make it possible to use on large farms.

The same team of researchers had previously developed an “artificial leaf� that produced syngas, a fuel.

Since the device required a range of different components, they ran

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PIGS GROW ADDITIONAL LIVER IN LYMPH NODES TO HEAL LIVER DISEASES Scientists induce the growth of new liver in pigs’ lymph nodes The main functional cells of the liver are Hepatocytes, they are natural regenerators, and the lymph nodes act as a nurturing place where they can multiply.

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medication discovered that large animals like pigs with ailing livers can grow a new organ using their own hepatocytes in their lymph nodes, and the next step is to test this experiment in human clinical trials. The outcome of the study is released online as well as is published in the journal Liver Transplantation.

Eric Lagasse, Pharm.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pathology at Pitt, a member of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the Pittsburgh Liver Research Center and senior author of the study said that it’s all about location, if hepatocytes get the appropriate place and also there is a requirement for liver functions, they will certainly form an ectopic liver in the lymph node.

Normally, the liver cells replenish themselves, however, to regenerate a healthy and nurturing environment is required, but the liver is bound up by scar tissue and is too toxic for the cells to recover during the last phase of liver disease.

Lagasse said that the liver is in a craze to regrow, and the hepatocytes try to fix their native liver, however, they fail and ultimately die.

Years ago, Lagasse observed that an auxiliary liver can be developed if he injected healthy liver cells into the lymph nodes of a mouse.

This auxiliary liver takes over the functions of the animals’ liver, which is genetically induced to malfunction.

Lagasse and coworkers needed to reveal that to overcome the liver disease large animals could also grow a significant mass of secondary liver cells, as mice are small and study in mice were not sufficient.

The scientists diverted the major blood supply from the liver, and at the same time, they removed a piece of healthy liver tissue and removed the hepatocytes to mimic human liver disease in pigs, and those liver cells were then injected into the abdominal lymph nodes of the same animal they came from.

Recovery of liver function was shown by all 6 pigs, as well as close analysis of their lymph nodes showed that not just thriving hepatocytes, but amongst the Lagasse anticipates growing auxi-

of bile ducts and vasculature that was also spontaneously developed.

When the damaged cells in the animals’ native liver were more severe, the auxiliary livers grew larger, showing that the animals’ bodies are maintaining a balance of liver mass, rather than having runaway development similar to cancer.

The outcomes of this study support another study as well, in which Lagasse and his coworkers at Mayo Clinic revealed that healthy liver tissue grown in the lymph nodes of pigs with a genetic liver problem spontaneously moved to the animals’ livers. Those liver tissues from lymph nodes healed the liver disease in animals by replacing diseased cells.

Lagasse anticipates growing auxiliary livers in the lymph nodes will certainly help, no matter the cause of liver disease, from hepatitis to alcoholism.

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September 01, 2020 Vol. 04 No 146

INDIA IN TALKS WITH RUSSIA TO MANUFACTURE SPUTNIK-V COVID-19 VACCINE India In Talks With Russia on COVID-19 Vaccine The Indian Health Ministry said on Tuesday that they are in conversation with Russia regarding the Sputnik-V covid-19 vaccine launched earlier by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Union Health Ministry, said India and Russia are in communication regarding the Sputnik-5 vaccine, and some initial information has already been shared.

Russia’s vaccine is currently in phase III clinical trial and is the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine registered. More than 40,000 people at over 45 centers in Russia are involved in phase III clinical trial of the vaccine.

Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said Russia is looking for a partnership with India for producing the COVID-19 vaccine. He said several countries from Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America are interested in the production of the vaccine. Russia believes India is capable of producing the Gamaleya vaccine, and a partnership could enable them to cover the demand for the vaccine, he added.

Russia is also looking forward to international cooperation.

They are planning to conduct clinical trials not just in Russia, but also in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and probably in India and Brazil. There is a high demand for the delivery of the vaccine from Latin America, Asia, Italy, and other parts of the world, so they are planning to produce the vaccine in more than five countries.

Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian defense ministry

and the Russian defense ministry developed the vaccine dubbed as Sputnik V. And in less than two months of human testing, the vaccine was registered by Russia.

The initial trial results are not publicly available yet.

The Health Ministry had mentioned earlier that they had ramped the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, there are three vaccines ahead of India’s race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, said Dr. Balram Bhargava, Director General of the Indian Medical Research Institute (ICMR).

The tests for detection of coronavirus in India have increased exponentially, and there has been a steady decline in the number of positive cases in the country, said the ministry. The Union Health Ministry Secretary also the active cases are only 22.2% of the total cases, and the recovery rate is more than 75%.

Dr. Bhargava informed that Zydus Cadila’s and Bharat Biotech’s vaccines had completed phase 1 trial while that from the Serum Institute is in phase 2(B) and phase 3 trials.

Meanwhile, the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group said their COVID-19 vaccine could be put before regulators this year if they can gather enough data.

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September 01, 2020 Vol. 04 No 146

LONG-TERM IMMUNITY MAY NOT OCCUR DUE TO CYTOKINE STORM IN COVID-19 PATIENTS COVID-19: Cytokine storm may prevent long-term immunity When an individual’s body releases too many pro-inflammatory cytokines, It causes cytokine storm – an inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19 infection.

It can trigger organ damages as well as raise the risk of death if left untreated.

A group of researchers led by Dr. Shiv Pillai, an investigator at Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard as well as a professor at the Harvard Medical School, stated that cytokine storms might be the reason why patients with COVID-19 are unable to develop long-lasting immunity against COVID-19.

The outcome of the study is released in the journal Cell. The study suggests that this is because of the lack of germinal centers in the spleen and lymph nodes of COVID-19 patients.

Germinal centers specific areas in spleen and lymph nodes where B cells (the cells that release antibodies) develop into memory cells, which develop log lasting immunity against pathogens.

A network of specialized tissues and organs that produce and develop specific B, as well as T cells, is present in the human immune system. B and T cells are produced by bone marrow and thymus, thus called primary lymphoid organs. As spleen, lymph nodes, as well as Peyer’s patches, expose these cells to antigens, they are called secondary lymphoid organs.

B and T cells are lymphocytes that aid in combating infections.

B and T cells are a part of the acquired immunity: the immunity which we develop after exposure to antigens rather than the innate immunity, which is present in the body from the time of birth.

When a pathogen enters into the body, the germinal centers develop in secondary lymphoid organs, and antigen-specific B cells are chosen and multiply inside these areas. There are two types of B cells: plasma cells and memory B cells.

The first one releases antibodies, and the second one generally works with remembering an antigen so that quick immune action is produced the next time the same antigen is encountered. T cells, specifically the T follicular helper cells, aid in the production of antibody diversity and in stimulating B cell proliferation within germinal centers.

Effect on germinal centers in COVID-19 patients

In the current study, scientists looked into the spleens and lymph nodes of people who died of coronavirus infection. A few of these people had died within ten days of hospitalization, while others had died within 15 to 36 days of hospitalization. The absence of germinal centers was the one thing common in all these people.

A significant reduction in B cells was also shown by these patients.

There will not be a high-quality immune reaction to produce log lasing antibodies without B cells.

Surprisingly, T follicular helper cells were lessened in these patients, which Dr. Pillai suggested as the possible factor for the decrease in B cells.

Previous studies in animal models have formerly revealed that cytokines, especially TNF, can inhibit the development of T follicular helper cells.

Large amounts of TNF were

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observed in the germinal centers of severe COVID-19 patients. T follicular cells are likewise differentiated (become specific to an antigen) inside the lymphoid organs before they go on to stimulate B cells.

While describing the research, Dr. Pillai stated that without the development of germinal centers, there is not likely to be long-lasting memory to this virus developing from all-natural infections, implying that while antibodies might protect people for a relatively short time, a single person who recovers from the disease can get infected again, perhaps 6 months later, or even multiple times. This implies that developing herd immunity against COVID-19 may be hard.

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September 01, 2020 Vol. 04 No 146

STUDY SUGGESTS SOME ENDANGERED SPECIES MAY BE AT HIGH RISK OF SARS-COV-2 Animals At Risk Of Coronavirus Infection Identified Using Genome Analysis According to a study conducted by an international team of scientists at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), humans are not the only species facing a potential threat from SARS-CoV-2. The team compared the amino acids of a key part of the ACE2 protein that is used by SARS-CoV-2 to gain entry into human cells with that of more than 400 animals using genome analysis and found that different species, including the highly endangered Western lowland gorilla, could potentially be infected with the novel coronavirus.

The study could help to identify intermediate hosts for SARS-CoV-2, even though they caution not to overinterpret their results, which are based on computational models. Harris Lewin, Ph.D., lead author for the study, said the data offers a starting point to identify threatened and vulnerable animal populations at risk of COVID-19 and could inspire practices that protect both animal and human health. The results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Previously, comparative genome analysis had shown that SARS-CoV-2 probably had ancestors that originated in bats and then could have jumped to an intermediate host from where viruses extended host range to mammals and primates. Coronaviruses cause infections in many mammalian species and are associated with severe clinical diseases like enteric and respiratory diseases in pigs and cattle.

The researchers suggested that

the pandemic can be better predicted and controlled with the understanding of the host range of SARS-CoV-2.

(including species from amphibians, reptiles, fishes, and mammals) to serve as a receptor for the novel coronavirus.

Angiotensin I converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the receptor for SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein in humans.

ACE2 is found in several types of tissues and cells, including epithelial cells in the mouse, nose, and lungs. In the ACE2 protein, 25 amino acids are crucial for the virus to bind to cells and invade them. To study how many of these amino acids are found in the ACE2 protein of the other species, the researchers used these 25 amino acid sequences of the ACE2 protein, their predicted protein structure, together with the coronavirus spike protein.

Joana Damas, Ph.D., first author for the paper and a postdoctoral research associate at UC Davis, said all animals withe these 25 amino acid residues matching ACE2 are predicted to be at high risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 virus. The more the ACE2 binding residues differ from that of humans, the less is the risk.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature classed 40% of the potentially susceptible animals as “threatened� and may be vulnerable to human-to-animal transmission. These include many critically endangered primate species like the Sumatran orangutan, Northern white-cheeked gibbon, and Western lowland gorilla. Marine animals like bottlenose dolphins, grey whales, and Chinese hamsters are also at high risk of coronavirus infection.

They used a combination of protein structural analysis and comparative genomic approaches to study the potential of ACE2 homologs from 410 vertebrate species

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In the known cases of coronavirus infection in cats, mink, dogs, lions, hamsters, and tigers, the virus may be using ACE2 receptors or any other receptor to invade the host cells. The lower propensity for binding could lead to the lower ability of the infection to spread or lower propensity for coronavirus infection. Institutions, including the San Diego Zoo and the National Zoo, contributed genomic material to the study and strengthened programs to protect both animals and humans.

Further study is required to understand how the findings from the study relate to disease or infection risk, but the correlation is high for those species that have known infectivity data.

Co-author Klaus-Peter Koepfli, Ph.D., a senior research scientist at Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, said the new information has allowed them to focus their efforts and plan accordingly to keep humans and animals safe.

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cautioned against overinterpretation of the predictions solely based on in silico analyses, saying additional experimental data is required to confirm actual risks.

As more extensive data are generated, the prediction accuracy of the model may be improved.

Research had shown that the immediate ancestor of the novel coronavirus originated in bats. But bats are at low risk of contracting the virus through the ACE2 receptor, consistent with the actual experimental data. Whether bats transmitted the virus to humans through an intermediate host or directly is not revealed yet, but the new findings support the idea of intermediate hosts.

The research concluded by saying their data could help to identify the intermediate species of the coronavirus and protect both animals and humans from the virus.

However, the researchers also

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3D STRUCTURE OF LARGEST PROTEIN COMPLEX INVOLVED IN PLANT RESPIRATION REVEALED Molecular Structures In Plant Respiration Revealed

By Scientists All plants and animals release energy from food through respiration. This process occurs in mitochondria at the cellular level. But how plants extract energy from sources is different from that of animals. We can bring a revolutionary change in agriculture if we discover those differences.

For growth and biomass accumulation, plant respiration is a crucial process, said Maria Maldonado, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of James Letts, College of Biological Sciences. Biomass and the interplay between photosynthesis and respiration are correlated to the extent of growth in crops.

Letts and colleagues provide the first-ever, 3-D structure of the largest protein complex (complex I) involved in the plant mitochondrial electron transport chain at an atomic level in a study published in eLife.

The higher resolution structures of the complete electron transport chain and even supercomplexes were available for mammals or years, but for plants, nothing was available till now.

Researchers could improve agriculture, and even better pesticides could be designed if the structure and functionality of these plant protein complexes were known.

There are many pesticides that target the electron transport chain complexes of the pest’s mitochondria. By understanding the structures of the plant’s complexes, better fungicide or pesticides could be designed that would kill the pest or fungus but not the plants or humans that eat them.

Plants conduct photosynthesis using chloroplast to make their food. But for scientists studying the molecular minutiae of the mitochondrial electron transport chain, the chloroplast could pose a problem. The chloroplasts and mitochondria in plants have a similar size and physical properties. Due to these similarities, it is hard to separate mitochondria from chloroplasts in a laboratory.

To resolve this, scientists grew mung beans (Vigna radiate) in the dark, preventing chloroplasts from developing. Mung beans store energy in the form of seed oils, and the oil is burnt like fuel during sprouting. The photosynthesis is limited in them without chloroplasts, which limits their energy streams.

The scientists obtained a clearer structural image of complex I and its subcomplexes by separating mitochondria from chloroplasts.

To solve the structure of the complexes after purifying them from mitochondrial samples, they used single-particle cryoelectron microscopy.

Scientists were able to see at an atomic level how the building block proteins of complex I are assembled with the help of these structures, and they understood how the assembly differed from that of bacteria, yeast, and mammals.

The researchers think that the unique modular structure of complex I offer plants the flexibility to thrive as immobile organisms.

Researchers can now plan to conduct functional experiments with the molecular structure of complex I involved in plant respiration in hand. And it is possible to open a new doorway to making crop plants more energy efficient by further understanding complex I’s functionality.

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September 01, 2020 Vol. 04 No 146

PORTABLE HOSPITAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR COVID-19 DEVELOPED BY SCTIMST & IIT MADRAS START-UP Portable COVID-19 Hospital Units By SCTIMST & IIT Madras Start-up The need to set up systems to improve health infrastructure, particularly in rural areas has been highlighted during the COVID 19 pandemic. Soon, a solution to tackle the increasing demands for health infrastructure could be provided by portable hospitals, which can be used for identifying, screening, detecting, isolating, and treating COVID-19 patients in local communities.

An autonomous institute under DST (Department of Science and Technology), Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), in collaboration with a start-up incubated by IIT Madras, Modulus Housing, have developed portable microstructures, a solution using a decentralized approach to detect, manage and treat COVID-19 patients in local communities. The portable microstructure named “MediCAB” has been developed by scientists from SCTIMST, Mr. Subhash NN, and Mr. Muraleedharan CV, along with Modulus Housing Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Shreeram Ravichandran, and his associates.

four persons, it can be erected in just two hours. The cabins in the MediCAB are dust-proof and are tightly sealed. MediCAB can withstand heavy rains and harsh weather.

The model is convenient for storage and transportation as it can be shrunk to 1/5th of its original size as it comes equipped with a prefabrication modular technology and a telescopic frame. These portable units come in three sizes of 200, 400, and 800 sqft, and according to the needs or availability of space at the facility, the units can be installed at the car parking or at the terrace of the hospital. Currently, at a cost of Rs 16 Lakh (INR), a 12 bedded hospital in Waynad, Kerala at Primary Health Care, Varadoor- Govt. Organizations and another 30 bedded hospital at a cost of 34 lakhs at Chengalpet, Chennai at Sugah Healthcorp Private Corporation have been successfully installed as four-zone hospitals.

MediCAB can be customized as per the requirements of the customer and it is portable, modular, easy to set up, and durable. It is composed of four zones – a medical room/ward, an isolation room, a doctor’s room, and a twin-bed ICU, maintained at negative pressure. It has in-built electricals, which are just plug-n-play, and the whole microstructure is foldable.

Anywhere in geographic locations, it can be easily transported and installed, and with the help of

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In order to make these mobile hospitals can be launched rapidly as COVID-19 isolation wards, the Modulus Housing team says that they are working on a dual design. During flooding, emergency housing solutions have been delivered by Modulus housing to prestigious clients across sectors such as Selco, Shapoorji, Tata Group, and L&T. The Union Human Resources Ministry on its social media platform highly praised the effort.

Secretary, DST, Prof Ashutosh Sharma said, “To effectively address the needs of disasters, pandemics, and other contingencies, portable, foldable, pre-fab hospitals that are easy to assemble on-site quickly provide a compelling solution.�

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FOR THE FIRST TIME SCIENTISTS TRACK DOWN EARLY PROGENITORS OF NEUTROPHIL Early Progenitors Of Neutrophil Identified For The First Time Neutrophils are the warriors of the immune system, always ready to fight off diseases and help heal injuries. But all immature neutrophils are not warriors; some of them could be dangerous turncoats. High levels of neutrophils in the blood can be a sign of cancer or even due to COVID-19 infection A rare group of stem cells that produce neutrophils in human bone marrow has now been tracked down by scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI). The new study published in the journal Immunity provides researchers a potential way to prevent diseases where neutrophil development goes wrong..

Huy Dinh, a former LJI postdoctoral associate who recently moved to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, said that they had identified the stem cells that are the early origins of the most abundant blood cell type in humans, neutrophils. LJI Professor Catherine C. Hedrick, together with Dinh, led the study. Since elevated levels of neutrophils were found in both lungs and blood of severe COVID-19 patients, it has become especially relevant to know how human neutrophils develop.

However, neutrophils are very hard to study.

They don’t survive well outside the human body, and growing their stem cells is even harder. This makes the study difficult as they can only live inside human bone marrow.

“Progenitor” stem cells that give rise to mature neutrophils were discovered in 2018 by the Hedrick

Lab. Besides generating neutrophils, these progenitors promoted tumor growth also. So the researchers hoped that a better way to detect early cancers could be developed by identifying these progenitors. But for that, they had to first understand the neutrophil development.

A progenitor cell type that exists even earlier in neutrophil development was revealed by the new study. Dinh and team distinguished these rare cells from other types of immune progenitor cells using cytometry by time-of-flight (CyTOF). They were able to identify more specific protein markers on the surface of this early progenitor cell in this work.

Until now, scientists had been using only a few markers to track neutrophils over time, which makes this discovery of protein markers more important. The study provides new markers for tracking neutrophil development.

Researchers also found that a

flood of immature neutrophils, including the early progenitor cells in the bloodstream, is often accompanied in cases of lung and skin cancers. They noticed that these immature neutrophils change as they interact with tumor cells. However, how these changes affect cancer progression still remains unsolved.

Neutrophil development was discussed a lot recently due to its elevated levels in COVID-19 patients. The researchers think that it could be the treat of the virus that forces the body to quickly churn out neutrophils, preventing immature cells from reaching maturity.

Further research is required to see if neutrophils can be a drug target for COVID-19 or can be tied to prognosis. The exact mechanism that stops neutrophils reaching maturity has to be identified. Identifying the early progenitors was critical for trying to control or target these cells.

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NEW METHOD FOR COVID-19 SAMPLE COLLECTION USING GARGLED WATER Gargled water can be used for COVID-19 sample collection replacing swabs According to a study released by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Gargle lavage may be a possible option to swabs for sample collection for detecting COVID-19.

ICMR said that the key purpose of this study was to examine if gargle lavage is an ideal respiratory sample (in place of the swab) for the detecting SARS-CoV-2, and the secondary goal was to assess the patient acceptability of the two sampling methods.

ICMR’s top scientists conducted a cross-sectional research study at AIIMS, Delhi on 50 COVID-19 patients from May-June.

The research published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research revealed that it was not clear whether the risk of aerosol generation was similar to swab collection (generally leads to coughing and sneezing) or greater.

The research claimed that to reduce the danger of transmission because of aerosols and to make the best use of the benefits of this approach of sample collection, it would be best to employ it for house collection. Additionally, it can not be utilized in patients who are critically and in young children/patients that might not be able to gargle or adhere to instructions.

As it will enable easy self-collection, lead to substantial cost savings by reducing the need for swabs and personal protective equipment, and relieve healthcare workers, this new method of sample collection will certainly have a significant influence.

As per the research, irrespective of the symptoms and duration of illness, all gargle samples were positive and comparable to their corresponding swab samples.

Compared to the swab samples, the cycle threshold values for gargle samples were slightly higher. With swab collection, most of the patients (72%) reported moderate to severe discomfort and only 24% of people reported mild discomfort with the gargle sample collection method, additionally, the study added that the bland-altman plot showed good agreement between the two approaches.

As per ICMR, there are several drawbacks with swab collection and it also requires training, exposes the healthcare workers to the virus-containing aerosols, is resource-intensive, and has poor patient acceptability.

an alternative sample collection method for COVID-19 that could overcome most of these drawbacks. Gargle lavage is one such method of sample collection.

Currently, only a few published information on the suitability of gargle specimens is available to diagnose COVID-19, even though the use of gargle specimens is not a new method.

The study stated that both Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab and gargle samples were taken within 72 hours of their diagnosis, and RT-PCR was used to process the samples for the detection of COVID-19. To assess the level of discomfort with either of the collection methods, a 10-point scale was administered after the sample collection.

Additionally, the research noted that the need of the moment is

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SCIENTISTS DISCOVER WAY TO REGENERATE SKIN AFTER SEVERE BURNS How Skin Can Regenerate After Severe Burns Discovered By Scientists People who had extensive skin injuries or severe burns are often left with scars, disfigurement, and itchy skin. This happens because the human body’s healing process is meant to quickly prevent infection and heal wounds rather than restoring or regenerating normal skin tissue.

Now an exciting leap has been made understanding how the skin heals by new research led by Dr. Jeff Biernaskie, professor of stem cell biology at the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM), which could lead to the development of new drugs for wound healing. The journal Cell Stem Cell published the study.

A particular population of progenitor cells located within the deepest connective tissue of the skin, dermis was identified by researchers. Progenitor cells are those cells that can undergo cell division and generate many cells that either repair or maintain tissues. The dermal progenitor cells researchers found become activated following injury, which then proliferates and moves to wounds to generate all-new tissues to fill the wound.

The study provides new insights into why certain dermal cells can regenerate new skin instead of disfiguring scar tissue. The research team compared scar-forming versus regenerative zones within skin wounds using cutting-edge genomics techniques to profile thousands of individual cells at different times after injury.

The researchers found that these

cells come from the same cellular origin, but different sets of genes are activated by different microenvironments within the wound.

Meaning, reactivation of genes that are typically engaged during skin development is promoted by the signals found within ‘regenerative zones’ of the wound. Whereas, these pro-regenerative programs are suppressed or absent in scar-forming zones, dominating scar-forming programs. In light of these findings, researchers showed that they could modify the genetic programs that control skin regeneration.

What researchers have shown in their study is that they can modify the genetics of these progenitor cells directly, or alter the wound environment with drugs, both of which are enough to change their behavior during wound healing.

And this can have great effects on healing like regeneration of glands, fat within the wounded skin, and hair follicles.

Besides providing insights into how skin regenerates after severe burns, this research identifies a number of genetic signals that are able to overcome fibrosis and promote true regeneration of adult skin and offers critical insights into the molecular signals that drive scar formation during wound healing.

This research is important because it provides proof that the adult wound-responsive cells have a latent regenerative capacity, which just needs to be unmasked.

The researchers are also looking at possible additional pathways.

They hope to develop a cocktail of drugs that can safely be administered in humans and animals to prevent scar formation and improve the quality of skin healing.

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BHARAT BIOTECH GETS APPROVAL TO TEST ADMINISTRATION OF COVAXIN THROUGH SKIN COVAXIN Administration Through Skin Gets Approval For Clinical Trial Bharat Biotech, the Indian firm behind the development of potential COVID-19 vaccine called COVAXIN, along with ICMR, has received approval for a trial to test-administer its vaccine, through the skin.

The approval to conduct a separate trial for intradermal administration of the vaccine that is just under the skin was given to the company by a subject expert committee at the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation.

The trials for its intramuscular vaccine is already underway. The intradermal administration will bring down the cost of the shot since it requires a lower dose of vaccine compared to that of intramuscular administration. It will also allow the vaccination of a larger population. Rabies and BCG vaccines use a similar method of administration. The intradermal administration of Rabies vaccine reduced its usage by 60-80% and was less costly.

undergoing a phase I/II clinical trial on 1,125 patients at 12 hospitals across the country, including King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam, Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad, PGIMS in Rohtak, and All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi and Patna. The company had recently claimed that their vaccine shot would be cheaper than a bottle of water. “This water bottle costs five times more than our vaccine,” said Dr. Krishna Ella, MD of Bharat Biotech, while speaking at a conference.

The administration of COVAXIN through the skin is being tested in a separate trial. However, the approval is subject to two conditions; the clinical trial sites of this study should be different from that of intramuscular study, and the participants should be followed up for six months for antibody and clinical assessments.

COVAXIN is a wholly-inactivated vaccine candidate that was jointly developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Institute of Virology in Pune and the vaccines & bio-therapeutics manufacturer Bharat Biotech.

Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN is

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BIOLUMINESCENT TAG TO DETECT DNA BREAK REPAIR Bioluminescence DNA Repair Reporter To Detect DNA Break Repair Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Academia Sinica in Taiwan have developed a new bioluminescent reporter that tracks DNA double-stranded break (DSB) repair in cells. DNA repair pathways can be monitored directly in animals as well as cell lines using the novel bioluminescent repair reporter (BLRR)-based system developed by the international team. For in vivo studies, no such system existed previously. In multiple conditions, including cancer, these pathways play a crucial role.

The co-senior author of the paper, an investigator in the Department of Neurology at MGH, Christian Elias Badr, Ph.D., explains, “Cells can inherently repair the DNA damage caused by radiation and chemotherapy, and this is one of the main reasons cancer cells are resistant to treatment.” Charles Pin-Kuang Lai Ph.D., the Academia Sinica in Taiwan is the study’s other co-senior author. In the Nucleic Acids Research, their study appeared as an online advance paper.

The key to maintaining cell viability and genomic integrity is DSB damage repair. It also plays a role in cancer treatment, as DSB is disrupted by chemoradiotherapy (radiation and chemotherapy) involved in cancer treatments. To reduce cell death caused by DSB, a cell can recognize the damage and can use its intrinsic DNA damage response (DDR). As a result, drug resistance and recurrence in some malignancies can be promoted by the cancer cell’s own DNA repair mechanisms.

The key to maintaining cell viability and genomic integrity is DSB damage repair. It also plays a role in cancer treatment, as DSB is disrupted by chemoradiotherapy (radiation and chemotherapy) involved in cancer treatments. To reduce cell death caused by DSB, a cell can recognize the damage and can use its intrinsic DNA damage response (DDR). As a result, drug resistance and recurrence in some malignancies can be promoted by the cancer cell’s own DNA repair mechanisms.

Badr says, “DNA damage in cells can be studied with next-generation sequencing (NGS), however, it is more time-consuming and costly. The accuracy of our system is comparable to NGS.” Multiple studies were carried out by the researchers using their new tag. A notable difference in the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing with guide RNAs 1-10bp apart was found in one of

the studies. Also, altered dynamics for DSB repair induced by small-molecule modulators were detected using BLRR analysis. Additionally, by inhibiting DNA repair protein RAD51 homolog 1, they used the system to discover HDR-suppressing functions of anticancer cardiac glycosides in human glioblastomas and glioma cancer stem-like cells.

According to the authors, the BLRR system was described in their paper as a highly sensitive platform to longitudinally and simultaneously track HDR and NHEJ dynamics that is sufficiently versatile for interpreting the DSB repair’s physiology and therapeutic development. To identify novel therapeutics that sensitize cancer cells to radiation and chemotherapy, the authors plan on using this reporter system in high throughput drug screening.

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INSPIRE FACULTY FROM NIT SET TO DEVELOP LOW-COST BIODIESEL FROM MICROALGAE Low-Cost Biodiesel From Microalgae By INSPIRE Faculty From NIT The fuel potential of algae residing in the vast marine environment surrounding India remains unexplored, while fossil fuels deplete. For biodiesel production, the efforts a scientist who is working on biotechnological studies and tools for increasing the lipid accumulation in microalgae might soon turn low-cost biodiesel from microalgae of marine origin a reality.

From the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, Dr. T. Mathimani started exploring alternative fuels from renewable and sustainable sources after realizing the rapid depletion of petroleum-based fuels. This route to sustainable fuels inspired him as microalgae present a series of advantages over other biofuel feedstock, and the use of microalgae has been strongly considered for the production of biofuels, with different types of biofuels that have been explored recently.

The INSPIRE faculty fellowship instituted by the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India was given to Dr. T. Mathimani, for his submission on techniques for enhancing Triacylglycerol content in marine microalgae towards economic biodiesel production.

Predominant strains of marine microalgal species namely Chlorella sp., Scenedesmus sp., Picochlorum sp., were isolated by Dr. T. Mathimani’s and his team in his research supported by this award published in the journal ‘Chemosphere’. These were isolated from the coastal regions of Tamil Nadu

for their potential in terms of Triacylglycerides(TAG) content for biodiesel production, and total organic carbon content.

Now, they are focusing on other microalgal candidates for switchable polarity solvent (SPS) system based lipid extraction and their multiple biotechnological potentials. SPS can be reused as a green solvent for algal lipid extraction with no effect on the environment and it is an energy-efficient switchable solvent, that can be recovered devoid of any thermal processes. TAG accumulation can be escalated for increasing biodiesel yield using metabolic engineering approaches, magnetic nanocomposite (MNC) can be used for several cycles of algal dewatering, and to scale down the biodiesel production cost significantly, its treated culture suspension can be reused. For sustainable and lowcost production of biodiesel, these three approaches would be considered in their study.

A roadmap by which biodiesel can be put in an energy market sustainably and can be produced commercially will be formulated by the group.

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ICMR SAYS EMERGENCY AUTHORIZATION FOR COVID-19 VACCINE POSSIBLE IF GOVERNMENT DECIDES COVID-19 Vaccine Emergency Authorisation in India Possible: ICMR A top ICMR official told a parliamentary panel that emergency authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine could be considered if the Centre decides so as the phase-two clinical trials of two indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine candidates have almost been completed.

An MP present in the meeting said that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director-General, Balram Bhargava informed members of the parliamentary standing committee on home affairs that the vaccine candidates developed by the Serum Institute of India, Zydus Cadila, and Bharat Biotech are at different stages of trials.

The COVID-19 vaccine candidates coordinated by Zydus Cadila and Bharat Biotech are nearing completion of phase-two trails.

The MP said, around 1,700 patients have been identified at 17 centers across the country for the phase-2 (b) trials this weekend for the vaccine handled by the Serum Institute of India and developed by Oxford University.

An MP in the panel said that ICMR agreed to the panel members’ suggestion of reviewing the existing limited set of guidelines relating to the management of psychological stress while discussing the mental stress among the people due to the pandemic. To help all the concerned to cope with the stress caused by the outbreak of the viral disease, ICMR also told the committee that it may soon come out with comprehensive revised guidelines.

The meeting, chaired by Anand Sharma, the senior Congress leader, and Rajya Sabha MP, discussed various aspects of management of the COVID-19 pandemic and also its impact on the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector, and it lasted for over four hours

Bhargava, responding to the queries by the panel, informed that taking samples from gargled water is already under consideration and further details will be available soon when asked about the saliva test cleared by the FDA in the US for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2.

The parliamentary committee members complimented the medical fraternity in general and the ICMR in particular for their committed role in fighting the pandemic.

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FASTER SURGICAL RECOVERY USING BIORUBBER GLUE “CAPROGLU” Biorubber glue for faster surgical recovery and pain relief developed by NTU A new type of surgical glue that can help in joining blood vessels as well as close wounds faster was developed by the materials scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore). Additionally, this glue might act as a system to deliver pain relief medicines.

The outcomes of the research on “Biorubber glue for faster surgical recovery and pain relief” are published in the journal Biomaterials. The NTU scientists worked on this research is a collaboration with clinicians from Singapore General Hospital (SGH). The study reveals that even when the surfaces are wet their glue can bond soft tissues including muscle as well as blood vessels.

The research group showed in animal models that blood vessels can be rejoined with just 4 stitches as well as a mesh wrapper dipped in CaproGlu, otherwise, it would take eight stitches. The scientists estimate that this will lower surgical procedure time by 25%, as surgeons spend less time and effort stitching up tissues and blood vessels.

Additionally, CaproGlu can be utilized to deliver local anesthetics or pain relief medicine to tissues in the body, which may be useful both throughout and after an operation and would certainly reduce the requirement for pain relief drugs.

They named it as CaproGlu, and it is activated by a reduced dosage of UV light that cures it in seconds, and it turns into a flexible solid biorubber from liquid glue, and it is made up of a biocompatible material that can be resorbed by the cells within a few weeks of time.

The CaproGlu is a one-pot liquid gel solution that comes ready-to-use, unlike existing bio-adhesives which need two chemicals to be mixed before using.

Terry W.J. Steele, Associate Professor, and Dr. Ivan Djordjevic, Senior Research Fellow were the lead

authors of the study, they emphasized that many surgical adhesives available in the market do not work in water or damp atmospheres like the human body.

Associate Professor, Terry W.J. Steele said that the glue was first engineered to remove water from the surface to make the light-activated glue work on wet tissues, and thus allow adhesion to the dried surface.

He added that the advantages that make CaproGlu so suitable to be utilized in medical applications and surgeries are being able to bond in a wet environment with high strength, as well as being biocompatible.

A comparison study between CaproGlu and other commercial bioadhesives was carried out to determine the adhesion strength.

The outcome showed that CaproGlu is 3-7 times stronger than other bioadhesives, as well as is on a par with the shear strength of

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The outcome showed that CaproGlu is 3-7 times stronger than other bioadhesives, as well as is on a par with the shear strength of collagen as well as muscle tissue found in the body.

Advantages of CaproGlu CaproGlu is designed by Associate Professor Steele and Dr. Djordjevic from the NTU School of Materials Science and Engineering, there are two ingredients in CaproGlu which are combined into a single-component formulation that does not require additives.

The initial ingredient is polycaprolactone – a biodegradable polymer that has been approved by the U.S. FDA for specific applications utilized in the body. The second ingredient is diazirine, a light-sensitive molecule when activated diazirine can form strong bonds.

In the study, the researchers used stitches in combination with an adhesive to show how exactly CaproGlu could be used as part of a new surgical approach. They used 4 stitches to join both ends of blood vessels in a rabbit, and also wrapped the vessel ends with a biodegradable mesh dipped in CaproGlu and treated with a little dose of UV light which crosslinked the amino acids on the tissue’s surface, instead of 8 stitches which are conventionally used.

September 01, 2020 Vol. 04 No 146 of movement. This suggests that CaproGlu is successful in delivering local anesthetics over time, it could be a helpful method to prolong local anesthesia past its existing limits and it could be used to avoid an extreme blood clot by using it as a drug delivery platform for drugs such as anticoagulants.

The animals which had CaproGlu implanted in their skin did not show any noticeable adverse effects, which implies that it is safe and biocompatible as anticipated. Follow up clinical visits would not be needed for its removal, as the bioadhesive dissolves as well as resorbs within weeks.

Stable shelf life after sterilization As of now, the biggest challenge for bioadhesives in the market is to cope with the standard method through which surgical grade equipment as well as disposables are disinfected using gamma irradiation, which triggers bonding in both acrylate and epoxy adhesives and destroys proteins.

The protein-free solution formulation of CaproGlu exploits new crosslinking chemistry unaffected by gamma sterilization, unlike other surgical adhesives.

The protein-free solution formulation of CaproGlu exploits new crosslinking chemistry unaffected by gamma sterilization, unlike other surgical adhesives.

Even after several months of storage and gamma sanitation, the light-activated bonding mechanism develops chain links to amino acids at the nanoscale level, thus making CaproGlu’s production and commercialization possibly much less costly than those based upon acrylates and proteins.

After using this glue the artery completely recovered after 7 days, as well as the bleeding from the artery immediately after the procedure, was similar to what is observed from the conventional method.

In another experiment, before closing the wound using the conventional method, CaproGlu filled with anesthetics was inserted within rats’ calves and cured them with UV light.

The activity of these rats was compared with two other controls: rats that had only received anesthetics and rats that had received only CaproGlu. The study showed that rats that had anesthetics as well as CaproGlu packed with anesthetics did not show any visible

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September 01, 2020 Vol. 04 No 146

EDINBURGH SCIENTISTS DEVELOP A NEW SUPER-RESOLUTION IMAGING TECHNIQUE LIVE-PAINT: New Imaging Technique Revealing Workings of Living Cells A new imaging technique that could pave the way to a better understanding of many diseases, a technique that reveals the inner workings of living cells in stunning detail has been developed by Edinburgh scientists.

A flexible and powerful way of tracking individual proteins inside living cells, without disrupting their activity is provided by the new super-resolution imaging technique, called the LIVE-PAINT. This technique can reveal the behavior of proteins involved in disease processes and those essential to health and can be a game-changing advance in leading to new insights into diseases.

The existing super-resolution techniques involve a fusion of a large fluorescent molecule that can interfere with the protein of interest, require complex instruments, or cannot be used inside living cells, thus they are limited.

The LIVE-PAINT technique was developed by the team at the University of Edinburgh, and by tagging a protein-of-interest with a very small protein molecule, known as a peptide, they tested it in live yeast cells.

At the University of Edinburgh’s School of Biological Sciences, Professor Lynne Regan, the senior author of the study explains, “The chances of a tag affecting the protein’s natural function is minimized in this technique, as the LIVE-PAINT offers a way to label proteins for super-resolution imaging with a very small tag.�

Then, the peptide tag temporarily binds to a peptide-binding protein, which is fused to a fluorescent protein. The necessary blinking to construct super-resolution images is generated by this reversible binding, as it drives the repeated association of the fluorescent protein to the protein-of-interest.

In diseases that are characterized by the harmful build-up of protein aggregates inside cells, the approach could offer new insights, such as Alzheimer’s, ALS, and motor neuron disease.

As existing super-resolution methods often behave differently when directly fused to a large fluorescent protein, using them to study the proteins involved in aggregation diseases is difficult.

LIVE-PAINT could be used to study many other important processes in living cells without disrupting their activity and it requires the fusion of a small peptide.

A detailed study of a group of

group of medically important proteins, which are the target of 70% of current drugs known as transmembrane proteins can be made possible through this approach, for the first time. Embedded in the membrane surrounding cells, transmembrane proteins have vital roles, such as signaling between nerve cells, and when they are disrupted, it often leads to disease.

Another technique, which uses short DNA strands to reversibly associate a fluorescent molecule to a target molecule, the super-resolution technique called DNA-PAINT is where the LIVE-PAINT approach takes inspiration from.

In DNA-PAINT technique, the short strands of DNA can only be used in dead cells that have been broken up or on the outer surface of a cell, as they are synthesized chemically. While in LIVE-PAINT, using the cell’s own protein production machinery, all the components are made inside the cell.

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At the University of Edinburgh’s School of Chemistry, Dr. Matthew Horrocks, the senior author of the study said, � LIVE-PAINT will be accessible to many groups, not just specialists, given its straightforward implementation, and we particularly pleased that the versatility of LIVE-PAINT.�

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RESEARCHERS DEVELOP NEW AI MODEL TO PREDICT ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE IN BACTERIA AI To Predict Antibiotic Resistance Of Bacteria – Duke University Biomedical engineers at Duke University have shown that a machine learning model can distinguish different strains of the same bacterial pathogen and accurately predict other traits such as resistance to antibiotics by analyzing their growth dynamics alone. This could lead to simpler, faster, cheaper, and more accurate techniques for predicting behaviors and identifying diseases.

The results published on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on August 3.

Previously, we had to culture bacteria and analyze their behaviors and physical traits to identify the bacteria; else, a genetic test was required. But a genetic test can take a long time and is not universally available. Moreover, it can be difficult to tie specific genetic variations to different behaviors in the real world, even with the entire genome sequence.

For example, the genetic mutations that render bacteria protection from the most commonly used antibiotic, beta-lactam antibiotic is known, but DNA is not the only factor that determines the protection. Many times, large populations of bacteria can often survive a dose of antibiotics, while a single resistant bacteria cannot.

AI To Predict Antibiotic Resistance In Bacteria Carolyn Zhang, a graduate student at Duke and her professor Lingchong You wondered if they can bring a new twist to older methods to make them work better.

According to the researchers, the metabolism of bacteria could be affected subtly by slight variance in the genes between strains of bacteria, and this effect could be amplified enough to take advantage of them during the exponential growth of bacteria. And they got surprised when it really worked.

The richness of culture media determines how fast a bacterial culture can grow in the laboratory.

But the culture consumes nutrients and produce byproducts as the population grows. Even if the exact same environmental conditions are initially used, subtle differences accumulate over time in terms of their growth and influence in environments.

You and Zhang studied more than 200 strains of bacterial pathogens, most of which are E.coli variants and carefully measured their population density as it increased by putting them into identical growth environments.

The cultures grew in fits and starts, each possessing a unique temporal fluctuation pattern, because of their slight genetic differences. The growth dynamics data was then fed into a machine learning program by the researchers to teach itself to identify and match the growth profiles to the different strains. It worked well for their surprise.

The model was able to identify a particular strain with 92% accuracy using growth data from only one initial condition. The accuracy was raised to 98% when they used four different initial conditions instead of one. In light of this, researchers tried to use growth dynamic profiles to predict antibiotic resistance.

So they again loaded a machine learning program with the growth dynamic profiles of various strain along with the data of their tolerance to four different antibiotics.

The resulting model was tested to

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see it could predict the antibiotic resistance of the final strain from its growth profile. They found that a strain’s resistance to antibiotics can be successfully predicted using just the growth dynamic profile 60-75% times.

The researchers checked if the strains with similar growth curves had similar genetic profiles, and they found no correlation between the two, showing how difficult it can be to map cellular behaviors and traits to specific regions of DNA. The researchers further plan to optimize the growth curve procedure so that a strain can be identified in 12 hours, instead of 2 to 3 days. They are also studying if mapping bacterial growth using cameras can help the process even more accurate. The researchers’ AI method to predict antibiotic resistance could lead to more advancements in microbiology.

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USFDA GIVES AN EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION FOR CONVALESCENT PLASMA TO TREAT COVID-19 An emergency use authorization (EUA) was issued by the US Food and Drug Administration on Sunday for convalescent plasma to treat Covid-19 saying the known and potential risks of the product are outweighed by the known and potential benefits of the product.

More than 70,000 patients had been treated with convalescent plasma made from the blood of COVID-19 recovered patients, said the FDA. Scientists expect this old fashioned treatment to work for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

President Trump, at a White House briefing, was pleased to make the historic announcement that could save countless lives from the virus. Trump had accused the health officials last week for playing politics regarding a EUA for convalescent plasma. He said the reason was political when asked about FDA not having granted a EUA. Convalescent plasma is obtained from the blood of patients who have recovered from the SARS-CoV-2 infection. FDA established a pathway for scientists at the end of March to try convalescent plasma with coronavirus patients and study its impact. More than 60,000 COVID-19 patients have already been treated using this.

However, convalescent plasma is very limited and should come from donors, and the clinical trial data on convalescent plasma is not yet randomized even though there are promising signals from some studies. Some of the clinical trials are still underway, and more data is needed.

The data gathered by the scientists show that plasma containing high levels of antibodies benefited

benefited the patients who were treated early in their course most, probably within three days of being diagnosed. The patients who benefited from the treatment had a 35% better survival rate.

US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said they are hoping to develop something that can reduce the mortality rate by 35%. A national study of 35,000 patients treated with convalescent plasma released in a pre-print on August 12 showed that about 12% of patients who were treated four days or more after their diagnosis died while only 8.7% of patients who were treated within three days of diagnosis died which is like 37% difference. A 35% lower risk of dying was found in patients treated with plasma containing the highest levels of antibodies compared to those treated with less-rich plasma.

placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted in randomly selected people to tell whether its the treatment affecting survival or something else. The results from treated patients should be compared with that of untreated.

Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine at George Washington University, said Sunday that they don’t have enough data to really understand how effective the convalescent plasma is to treat COVID-19.

It is likely that the White House pressured the FDA into pushing through the EUA, said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

But this is not how clinical trials are done. The study should be a

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PROMOTING ANTICANCER IMMUNITY USING STING Promoting anti-cancer immunity using natural immune-boosting protein A multi-directional approach is required for cancer treatment.

Oncologists are still researching new approaches to tackle cancer in a better and effective way. A natural immune-boosting protein called STING, which can induce anti-tumor immunity in the body was discovered by scientists. The outcomes of the study are released in the journal Science.

What is STING? STING refers to the Stimulator of Interferon Genes. Whenever there is a viral or cancerous invader in the body, the STING stimulates the immune system. STING protein comprises of 379 amino acids and is found in different endothelial cells, epithelial cells, hematopoietic cells, T cells, macrophages as well as dendritic cells (antigen-presenting cells).

STING functions as a molecule that controls the transcription of various genes. The genes include the host defense system’s genes which produce immune cells, like type I interferons and pro-inflammatory cytokines, when they encounter any abnormal DNA. This abnormal DNA is typically the pathogen that attempts to attack the cells.

Cancer treatment using STING Scientists have already mentioned in many other researches that STING promotes anti-tumor immunity. When an abnormal DNA is detected in the blood, the STING gets activated. However, the concern is that the activation of STING is short-lived as this DNA does not stay in the blood for long.

Researchers at Scripps Research declared that they have discovered a set of small diverse molecules that can help STING activation.

A STING-activator, called SR-717, which activates the STING protein similarly as its natural activators in the body, was discovered by Dr. Luke L Lairson along with his fellow researchers.

It was observed that both SR-717 and a natural activator bind to the same site on the STING protein, while the researchers studied the interaction of the activator on cellular levels using x-ray crystallography.

The same modification in the shape of the protein was produced by both these artificial and natural activators.

Additionally, the researchers tested SR-717 on a group of mice with aggressive melanoma who were orally administered with the STING-activator. The outcomes revealed that the growth of the tumor was suppressed by SR-717

and prevented the spread of cancer in the body (metastasis).

Additionally, SR-717 boosted the immune system’s anti-tumor defenses which include natural killer cells and CD8+ T cells.

Conclusion Still, the research on the STING-activator to form a new anti-cancer treatment is ongoing, which can either be used alone or with other treatments.

Moreover, researchers believe that using a systemic STING-activating molecule, they would certainly not only be able to use it for the treatment of cancer and other contagious diseases however, would additionally allow them to research more about the STING-dependent anti-tumour immunity.

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September 01, 2020 Vol. 04 No 146

WOMEN’S HEALTHCARE LEADER – BAYER ACQUIRES KANDY THERAPEUTICS Bayer Acquires UK-Based Biotech KaNDy Therapeutics Bayer, a leader in women’s health care, revealed that it would acquire KaNDy Therapeutics Ltd., a UK clinical-stage biotech company, to broaden its medicine development pipeline in the healthcare of women. Recently KaNDy Therapeutics Ltd. released the Phase IIb dose range finding results for its’ investigational substance, NT-814, neurokinin-1,3 receptor antagonist – a prospective first in class.

Positive findings for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms were revealed in the outcomes of the study. Vasomotor symptoms (as night sweats, hot flashes, and flushes) are associated with menopause. In 2021, the beginning of the Phase III clinical trial is anticipated. The substance might generate peak sales potential of more than â‚Ź1 billion worldwide.

Approximately 75% of women over the age of 50, going through menopausal change, experience symptoms of menopausal vasomotor. For those affected, these symptoms can be crippling for several years and may cause substantial incremental health care as well as financial costs.

Dr. Sebastian Guth, Bayer’s President of Pharmaceuticals, Americas Region, said, as a leader in Women’s Health, Bayer is aimed at supplying new options for females and their healthcare requirements. This procurement is another testament to our commitment to women’s health. This not only expands our pipeline but has the potential to provide a new treatment alternative.

Dr. Mary Kerr, Co-Founder, and CEO of KaNDy Therapeutics Ltd

Bayer, has been our preferred companion because of its leading position in women’s healthcare.

The company believes that this medicine under the possession of Bayer can be efficiently developed to become an important non-hormonal treatment option for vasomotor symptoms.

This procurement is one more vital milestone in enhancing Bayer’s portfolio of women’s healthcare. The expansion of Bayer’s partnership with Evotec was announced in 2020, to develop several clinical candidates for the therapy of polycystic ovary syndrome, with a new 5-year, multi-target collaboration. Bayer signed a special certificate contract with DarÊ Bioscience in January 2020, for the UNITED STATE market. It was concentrated on its investigational, hormone-free, monthly vaginal contraceptive currently in clinical development for preventing maternity.

This collaboration was facilitated

by Bayer’s Licensing team and Pharmaceuticals Business Development.

The financial advisor to Bayer is Morgan Stanley, and the legal counsel of Bayer is Linklaters. The KaNDy Therapeutics Ltd’s financial advisor is Goldman Sachs International, and legal counsel is Goodwin.

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CAREER OPTIONS AFTER MSC MICROBIOLOGY, JOB PROSPECTS & SCOPE MSc Microbiology Career Opportunities And Scope In India

The current pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has revealed the deadly roles played by microorganisms, but these unseen organisms can be tamed only with the inputs of a microbiology student. Apart from causing diseases, microbes have crucial roles in food production, environmental science, medicine, and basic research. Recently, the Microbiology course attained immense popularity due to an increase in the number of students coming forward to pursue microbiology as a career.

Who are Microbiologists?

Microbiology was born in the year of 1674 when Antonie van Leeuwenhoek became the first microbiologist to observe microbes in a drop of water through a glass lens.

Since then, this science studying the invisible life has grown boundlessly. A person who specializes in the field of microbiology is called a microbiologist. Microbiologists are regarded as scientists or researchers who play a pivotal role in studying various microorganisms and infectious agents that cannot be seen with the naked eye.

They also study the interactions of microorganisms with humans and other animals that affect our lives.

Microbiologists play a very crucial role in the food industry as they check the food’s safety, develop green technologies, and track the role of microbes in climate change. They have an in-depth knowledge of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, algae, fungi, and some types of parasites. Accordingly, they are named as follows:

Bacteriologists are the ones who conduct research experiments and learn more about microorganisms’ behavior, their ecology, metabolism, and reproduction.

Virologists diagnose viral infections and study the biology of viruses, their distribution, biochemistry, physiology, response to antiviral drugs along with mechanisms of drug resistance. They give expert advice on how antiviral drugs should be prescribed and used appropriately.

Mycologists study the biochemical properties, genetics, use, and dangers of fungus to humans.

There are medical mycologists who research on drugs to cure fungal infections, and there are agricultural and research mycologists who study the industrial and economic uses of fungi.

Parasitologists study all about parasites, their life cycle, genetics, reproduction, infestation, and their complete biology. He is the

Clinical microbiologists have to perform laboratory research related to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases caused by microscopic organisms, like bacteria and fungi.

Environmental microbiologists study the composition and physiology of microbial communities in soil, water, air, and sediments.

Their study also includes the animals and plants that inhabit these areas.

Industrial microbiologists use microorganisms for industrial production processes like the discovery of new organisms and pathways, such as antimicrobial drugs. They monitor the impact of industrial waste on the surroundings and ensure the quality production of cheese and alcohol, among others.

Career Opportunities After MSc Microbiology:

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Researcher- A microbiology researcher finds solutions to problems related to microbes. They perform a detailed study in areas of microbial usage in industrial processes, how a particular microorganism causes diseases in animals or humans, their transmission, so on.

They are also entrusted with the task of writing proposals to get grant funding or analyzing data and publishing results in scientific journals and presenting at scientific conferences. The microbiology research job titles include research associate, research scientist, technician, laboratory manager, scientist, and principal investigator.

Food technologists- They are of great demand in food industries as they make sure that the food quality is maintained by following the guidelines of food production regulations. They ensure food products are produced safely, legally, and with no compromise on the quality claimed. They even modify foods to create products such as fat-free food items, instant meals, and so on.

Microbiologist- As a microbiologist, one studies the biology of microorganisms at both the molecular and cellular levels, including their ecology. There are different areas of specialization, which include medicine, healthcare, agriculture, climate change, and food safety.

Diagnostics- Microbiology graduates can work as clinical laboratory professionals. These professionals are employed in hospitals, public health laboratories, private diagnostic laboratories, and private companies. In hospitals and laboratories, they perform pathological tests on human or animal samples sent in by doctors or vets.

These tests are useful in identifying the microbe and helps the doctor/vet with treatment decisions,

Biosafety- Microbiology students can also work as biosafety professionals wherein the knowledge and skill gained by them to isolate, manipulate, and propagate pathogenic microorganisms are utilized to lay down regulations, facility designs, practices to prevent occupational diseases in work areas and release of harmful organisms in the environment.

Quality Control (Microbiology)Microbiology Quality Control Technicians are responsible for maintaining the quality of the company’s product through all day-to-day operations. They evaluate the quality of raw materials, other supplies, and check the finished, packaged product. They have to ensure compliance with common Good Manufacturing Practices. Quality Control Technicians also help in calibrating and maintaining the microbiology laboratory equipment; summarize and analyze data for documentation, and prepare standard reports. With experience, the technicians are further promoted to different managerial levels. MSc Microbiology holders can build a great career in this field.

Scientific writers– They are microbiology graduates who have a flair for writing for newspapers, magazines, and scientific journals.

They work with media companies, as well as for government institutions. Some also work as freelancers. They compile research stories and write articles on current events in the field of microbiology and new research being published.

Patent lawyers- Microbiology graduates can also find opportunities at law firms or private companies. They are entitled to protect intellectual property by writing and filing patents on the development of new scientific devices, methods, or products.

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They also pursue or defend lawsuits related to patent infringement. Patent lawyers also pursue a law degree as well as scientific expertise.

Science education or outreach professionals- Many microbiology graduates work at various colleges and universities, museums, government agencies, private firms, and non-profit organizations. These professionals design and organize programs and events that engage the public or students with science.

India is still a developing nation, and its large population suffers from many dreadful diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, cholera, and HIV infection. This, in turn, is mostly caused due to the multiple drug resistance (MDR) mechanisms in the causative organisms.

Indian microbiologists are currently entrusted with the task of understanding the mechanism by which organisms acquire this drug resistance, and hence attempting to identify new drugs and blocking pathways for such pathogenic MDR bacterial strains. Extensive study in this area, in a number of premier research and hospitals with advanced scientific inputs and lower cost of conducting medical practices, is expected to bring Indian microbiology to the forefront.

After studying MSc Microbiology, there are various career opportunities in India. At present, the scientific knowledge, problem-solving, and analytical skills of microbiology graduates are sought after by employers.

Currently and in the post coronavirus era, there is a wide scope in the field of microbiology because of the advancement in the field of science and technology and the need for research on deadly disease-causing microorganisms.

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There is an ever-increasing demand for microbiologists in India and globally. A microbiologist invents new diagnostic kits, finds treatment for diseases by discovering new drugs, research, etc. To further perform cutting edge research in microbiology after graduation, one can also think of pursuing a PhD in microbiology. A PhD degree further opens doors for new avenues in microbiology.

As India is an agrarian economy, microbiological research that ensures food and nutrition to people is always in demand. This further involves studies on topics like nitrogen fixation, rhizosphere, anaerobic decomposition in biogas production, soil enzymes, etc. Moreover, several government agencies like the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Indian Agricultural Research Institute, which are networks of agricultural research, are continuously into research for the development of improved crops with resistance against various stress factors, be it pathogens, frost, the heat so on. One can enter both the government as well as private sectors.

Therefore, with a degree in microbiology, one can get opportunities in various environments like higher education institutions, hospitals, healthcare organizations, forensic science laboratories, environmental organizations, publicly funded research organizations, pharmaceuticals, food and drugs, and many other industries.

More recently, microbial genetics has been an upcoming field.

Several eukaryotic, as well as bacterial genomes, are getting sequenced, and there is a demand for metagenomic studies in the country. The impact of these studies will be realized in the coming years.

The scope of microbiology is immense as its applications are in diverse fields like medicine, dairy, agriculture, clinical research, water industry, chemical technology, and nanotechnology.

Listed below are few companies and organizations which provide jobs in different areas:

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manufacturers, as part of their curriculum.

Summer training programs at various companies also help to show laboratory experience for job needs.

Important qualities for microbiologists include good communication skills so as to effectively communicate their research processes.

They should be detailed oriented with interpersonal skills. Microbiologists should have the basic qualities of perseverance, problem-solving skills, and the most important one is to possess time management skills as it is a must for them to meet deadlines when conducting research and laboratory tests. One can join as a member of a relevant society or a professional body such as the Microbiology Society and the Society for Applied Microbiology (SfAM), which would increase the networking of the microbiologists for job recruitments.

Average Salary In India For Careers After MSc In Microbiology

Skills Required For A Successful Career After MSc Microbiology Certification may help the freshers in microbiology to gain employment benefits in the occupation or advance to new positions of responsibility.

Microbiologists interested in the food sector can join degree apprenticeships in food technology, which is available from the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST). Some employers prefer to hire quality control technicians who are certified by the American Society for Quality for various aspects of the quality control profession.

Having laboratory experience adds to the prospects of being selected in the microbiology research workforce. Microbiology students gain valuable laboratory experience through a six months internship program with prospective employers, such as drug

The average salary for MSc Microbiology pass-outs varies based on their experience and job position.

The valuation of the candidate depends on the sector of employment, job profile, experience, and diligence at the workplace.

Average Salary Package Msc Microbiology Candidates can get at various positions (Can vary with the organization, position, city & other factors)

Pros of becoming a Microbiologist Microbiologists are required in most aspects of the R&D Industry.

Microbiologist has working conditions.

flexible

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Microbiologists always have a career in the food industry, beverage industry, medical and healthcare industry.

Microbiologists are an evergreen option as a career choice because no matter how the world changes, microorganisms are here to stay so you will always have a job vacancy awaiting you.

Microbiology is so vast, that you can choose to specialize in any one aspect of it and still have a lucrative career.

Work is never monotonous.

A microbiologist can easily switch up their job since they are required in most aspects of R&D, Healthcare, FMCG, Food & Beverage Industry.

A microbiologist can always build upon their skills and thus have an advantage when pursuing research careers.

Cons of becoming a Microbiologist They face a highly competitive job market.

Microbiology initially involved the studies related to fermentation and medicine, but as the diversity and the role of the microbes came into light, the scientific basis of this science has surpassed all boundaries. In an attempt to harness the potential of these ‘wonder bugs,’ it has created numerous career opportunities for MSc Microbiology holders.

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CERTIFICATE OR KNOWLEDGE – WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT? Certificates Or Knowledge – What’s Important?

Everyone among us remains anxious about gathering certificates with a desire to attain a sparkling career and often we decide to go any extent to obtain them.

We spend money, devote years going through several sleepless nights to clear the exams which may earn us certificates.

But have you ever wondered how much weightage we should assign to a pile of certificates against conquering knowledge literally?

“CERTIFICATE ACCOLADES KNOWLEDGE WHILE KNOWLEDGE PROMISES CERTIFICATE.” Certificates are formal proof!

Certificates represent the documents, degrees, appreciations, or other credentials that we get from the school, colleges, universities, or other organizations after the completion of any course. They are treated as evidence that one has acquired a certain kind of expertise or information via that course or curriculum.

Knowledge is the ability to grapple the forces at play!

Knowledge implies the fact of gaining information about anything, thorough understanding, and familiarity with a subject, standard procedures, processes, strategies, methods, practices, or techniques which can be seized through academic institutions or organizations, books, expertise people, or any other genuine source.

Knowledge comprises both the acquired hard skills as well as soft skills.

Are certificates extend out?

enough

to

To stand out from others in a highly competitive job market you cannot completely rely on the certificates. Does that mean that a degree or a certificate is worthless? Not exactly, it really depends on you, your art of amalgamating these degrees with the applicable knowledge, can boost your graph of success in career. How much you are efficient in implementing or exhibiting the knowledge you acquire through the certification courses will frame the circumference of your career.

Let us figure out worthwhile reasons proving the necessity of earning the certificates by an individual.

Reasons why are certificates important: -It is a signature of excellence!

Whatever profession one chooses, a certificate from the relevant academic institution or organization works as proof that the gainer has been able to achieve the standards of education and training which are the constraints of stepping into a specific job profile.

-Works as parameters measure one’s knowledge!

to

The skill to perform to an adequate level of proficiency is not determined and can only be assumed. Certification tests or exams work as a standard to examine and evaluate a candidate’s understanding of the subject. From the examiners or interviewer perspective, the reliability and validity of knowledge testing through written exams are easier to maintain.

-Help you gain confidence!

When you know you have burnt the midnight oil to achieve those valuable certificates from renowned institutes with worth scores, this fervent feeling elevates your

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level of confidence which can be seen spilling from your performance during interviews.

-Stay connected in the networking!

While earning certificates you remain in touch with other people having similar goals, nearly the same set of knowledge and common aspirations and aims that might benefit you with finding opportunities, being part of the identical networking loops in the shape of classes, web, or meetings. Besides that, you get a chance to link up with expertise with remarkable command over the subject.

-Certificates help you get recruited!

A certificate may emerge as a differentiator in the state of competition which you might confront during an interview, if you possess a relevant certificate, diploma, or any credential while the other competitors don’t then certainly you are at par and you will relish the advantage of being selected.

-Certificates propel you to stay updated!

In a thrust to earn the certificates, you seek current technologies and training courses that boost your competence and aids in staying streamlined and rationalized in your field.

-Certificate earning can make you overcome your shortcomings!

While struggling for certificates, you get improvised with frailties, accomplish more precision, and hire hard as well as soft skills which require a lot of patience, practice, and perspiration. When you have targeted your goals, working with a strategic plan, you become able to master a new body of knowledge, then you get all set to put them to use for succeeding.

How can knowledge be defined?

If we look at the definition of knowledge given by “Cambridge International Dictionary of English� knowledge is “understanding of or information about a subject which has been obtained by experience or study, which is either in a person’s mind or possessed by people generally�.

Another definition provided by “Microsoft Encarta Dictionaries� includes the knowledge to be a general awareness of facts, truths, ideas, or principles learned gradually with time.

The simplified meaning of knowledge that could be extracted from these definitions is that knowledge is that gadget that makes you familiar with or allows you to master the specifics, facts, ideas, adequate skills, abilities, or even preciseness either through study or experience.

Hence, though knowledge can be defined in various ways, it eventually works as an element that can complement an individual’s personality and thus the entire life framework.

-Certificates are like half-cooked food without knowledge!

Do you like partially cooked food that does not have any aroma, essence, taste, or color? Certainly not, no one does indeed. Comparatively, certificates may bring you the rewarding opportunities, but it is the knowledge that augments the essence of sagacity to those hard-earned lucky chances in life.

Imagine a situation where a doctor enters the operation room well equipped with all the applicable certificates but owning the least knowledge or experience about the surgery. The results could be frightening enough to be imagined.

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assigned a crucial job profile of an accountant based on his degrees in commerce, his dearth of knowledge in accounts can bring pernicious consequences to many.

-Knowledge and experience are two peas in a pod!

The two attributes ‘knowledge’ and ‘experience’ are inextricable.

Well-structured knowledge allocates us to comprehend the complexities associated with any task and to control behavior against them. If experience embraces the knowledge, then the combination can do wonders to achieve optimally balanced schemas.

-Knowledge speeds up career graph to heights!

the

Once you begin to ascend the career ladder which you might have obtained based on your certificates, you soon begin to realize that your existing skill sets are not sufficient to meet the increasing challenges of the job profile.

For instance, getting into the research turns demanding and challenging with years and levels of work where you must grasp extra acquaintance either through study or training, assistance from the seniors, or from your own experiences. The next levels call for more going beyond fundamental skills.

Few words from one successful and established woman from India, Shanta Vallury, Head, Human resource department, RBL bank presents this approach in a persuasive way “Test your ability by shifting to other verticals. This is possible once you stop treating your career as a job and treat it as a learning opportunity to explore more areas of knowledge-making your career graph to show ascending trends.

Even if we consider a simple example where a person has been

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Unlock the room of the knowledge – With Certificate As A Byproduct!

Let us focus on the acquisition of both knowledge and certificate together. Consider a locked cabinet full of all opportunities you are seeking. The key for this locked cabinet is analogous to your knowledge & skills which you can posses, hence to open the cabinet you definitely need the key & once you have opened the door of the cabinet, the key still stays with you to unlock future opportunities. Now you are all free to cherish the valuable opportunities filled inside the cabinet.

A certificate is a mere proof that you can open the cabinet of opportunities but Knowledge is the Real Key to unlock it.

Certificates for being a teacher, doctor, lawyer, engineer or to progress in any other area of study are necessary but without the competency or adequate knowledge in these fields, the certificate stands useless now & in future too, unless you acquire the right knowledge which is proportional to the Certification. Thus Knowledge & Certification go hand in hand.

A fruitful venture of certification and knowledge is the key to have a genuine education system facilitating the lucrative development of an individual as well as the whole society.

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, AND CERTIFICATES ARE LIKE THE TRI-POD OF A PROFESSIONAL CAREER!

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