The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is going to establish a ‘Space Technology Incubation Center’ (S-TIC) at the National Institute of Technology Rourkela to carry out research and product development in space technology and applications. This Centre will enable start-ups to build applications and products that could be used in future space missions. NIT will extend its state-of-the-art laboratories, facilities and expert faculties to meet these objectives. The upcoming centre will promote startups, capacity-building, innovations and research in Space Technology in the States of Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand besides the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The MoU between ISRO and NIT Rourkela for setting up the S-TIC was signed on 18th March 2021 virtually. This collaboration with ISRO will open up new opportunities for research & development as well as space start-ups. It will also offer a great opportunity for academia to collaborate with industries and contribute in this Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan in the Space Technology sector initiated by ISRO.

Congratulating NIT Rourkela on this occasion, Dr. K. Sivan, Chairman, ISRO and Secretary Department of Space, Government of India, highlighted that the space technology-related research and the products from the S-TIC will be utilised in future Space missions and will help nation building through ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ in space technology and applications domain. Students and research scholars will execute real projects given by ISRO of NIT Rourkela taking guidance from expert faculties, mentors from ISRO and relevant industries. 

Prof. Animesh Biswas, Director, NIT Rourkela, said, “I heartily thank ISRO Chairman and Director of CBPO (Capacity Building Programme Office) for selecting NIT Rourkela in the Eastern Region for setting up of S-TIC. NIT Rourkela’s Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy is one among the best in the country. ISRO’s support will further enhance our research infrastructure.”

The Key Outcomes envisaged from the S-TIC include research & innovation in Space technology, product development, IPR, prototype development, space start-up and business Incubation. A project book ‘ YUKTI – Sanchita 2021’ was also released by Dr. Sivan during the occasion. ISRO will provide an annual Grant-in-Aid of Rs. 2 crore for a period of up to two years to NIT Rourkela as seed money for setting up the S-TIC. The seed money would be utilised for facility augmentation to carry out the research projects and product development taken from ISRO. NIT Rourkela will provide the required infrastructure inside its academic campus under the supervision of Prof. Susmita Das from NIT Rourkela. 

Source: India Science Wire

The US has probably been the most affected nations in this pandemic. And probably the fastest one to adopt the innovations around the fight against the pandemic. Owing to the situation, new partnerships are paving way for the consumers in the USA to get the same-day delivery of FDA Authorized COVID-19 test collection kits. This should help rectify the situation a bit since the early and easy detection could lead to faster tackling and in turn lesser affected individuals. But only time will tell how much the adoption and penetration rate is.

DoorDash has collaborated with Vault Health and Everlywell to deliver same-day Covid-19 PCR test collection kits to consumers across the US. The collaboration facilitates consumers’ access to two FDA- approved Covid-19 home collection kits through on-demand delivery from DoorDash’s DashMart locations. Tata Medical and Diagnostics (TataMD) and Anderson Diagnostic Labs have partnered to detect Covid-19 variants from the UK, Brazil, and South Africa with the TataMD CHECK diagnostic kit. The test kit has been approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and has already conducted more than 10,000 tests. It is being looked at as an alternative to RT-PCR tests.

Monoclonal antibodies have been making headlines since Eli Lilly‘s Bamlanivimab and Regeneron‘s Casirivimab/Imdevimab received EUA to treat mild-moderate COVID-19 in November 2020. The DripAssist Supplemental Infusion Rate Monitor, a test developed by Hometa, provides a middle ground between the simplicity of gravity infusion, and the certainty of a pump to deliver these treatments. The device secures to the drip chamber of an IV set and counts drops with 99% accuracy using an infrared sensor. It operates continuously for 270 hours on a single AA battery, viable for emergency use such as a power outage or pump shortage, and in austere/pop-up medical clinics.

Source: www.medicaldevice-network.com

With the increasing application of emerging technologies like AI in healthcare, better care outcomes can be achieved in more efficient and timely fashion. This displays a great example of how this pandemic has fast forwarded the behaviour change and that the world is now even more ready and committed to support innovative ways to fight this deadly pandemic.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization (EUA) to the first machine learning-based Covid-19 non-diagnostic screening device. The Tiger Tech COVID Plus Monitor is an armband with embedded light sensors and a small computer processor which identifies biomarkers that are typical to conditions like hypercoagulation or blood clotting. It will be used by trained personnel to prevent exposure and spread of the virus. The device identifies the SARS-CoV-2 virus, along with other conditions and allergies in asymptomatic individuals over the age of 5.

Stimdia Medical, a company that specialises in the development of lung pacing devices, has received FDA’s approval for its pdSTIM system. The Breakthrough Device designation allows the device to be used to treat difficult conditions and gain regular access and priority to the FDA. The system can be used in treating high risk Covid patients, to recondition the diaphragm and strengthen the primary muscle used in respiration. The device is expected to reduce weaning time for patients on mechanical ventilation.

The UK government is currently developing a test genotype assay test, which will be able to detect Covid-19 variants of concerns from coronavirus test samples. According to the UK government’s health ministry, the test is expected to halve the time required to detect Covid-19 variants and will be used alongside standard testing to identify cases more rapidly, thereby curbing the virus spread and easing restrictions.

Source: www.medicaldevice-network.com

With the rise in the covid positive cases across the world, it has become an utmost concern to detect and test the masses for any of the three new variants. As this new test will make detecting the new variants simpler, would this eliminate the need for complete genetic sequencing for diagnosis, which raises the cost manifold and takes about three days. Can it be tweaked even further for any possible mutation or new variant that might be on its way? If so, this could be the boon for the medical industry in the fight against covid.

Researchers from the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi, have modified their gene-editing technology-based Feluda paper-strip diagnostic kit in such a manner that a simple polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test can be used to detect mutated variants of the Sars-CoV-2 virus that causes coronavirus disease (Covid-19), said the institute. After naming their first kit after the famous fictional Bengali detective, the researchers have named the second one Ray (Rapid variant AssaY) after the author of the detective series, Satyajit Ray.

At present, to detect the UK, South Africa, or Brazilian variants, the entire virus genome has to be sequenced to look for specific mutations. This, however, adds cost and time to the process — three days in comparison to a few hours it takes to do a PCR. “We have developed the Feluda platform to come up with a test that can tell us in a few hours whether an infected person has any of the three new variants of concern. This will make detecting the new variants simpler and eliminate the need for complete genetic sequencing for diagnosis, which raises the cost manifold and takes about three days,” said Dr Debojyoti Chakraborty, senior scientist at IGIB and part of the team that developed both the tests.

He added, “This does not mean we can stop sequencing the viral genome. We will still have to sequence a proportion of our positive samples to detect whether new mutations are arising or any imported mutations are in circulation. Used along with the Feluda strip, this test will just help in diagnosing whether a particular person has the mutated variant or not.”

“This does not mean we can stop sequencing the viral genome. We will still have to sequence a proportion of our positive samples to detect whether new mutations are arising or any imported mutations are in circulation. Used along with the Feluda strip, this test will just help in diagnosing whether a particular person has the mutated variant or not.”

Once a swab sample from the patient is collected, the viral RNA is extracted from it and amplified using a thermo-cycler machine. The Feluda (FnCas9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay) test then uses a paper strip barcoded with the Cas9 protein to recognise specific portions of the genetic material of the Sars-CoV-2 virus to give a positive result.

For Ray, the scientists have encoded the Cas9 protein to recognise the N501Y mutation, which is present in all the three new variants of concern. “In theory, the Cas9 protein can be encoded to recognise any number of mutations as and when they arise. The high specificity of the Cas9 can be utilised to detect any point mismatch in the viral genome,” said Dr Chakraborty.

The lab is currently in talks with the industry to market the product. Tata Sons had manufactured and marketed the initial Feluda test kits. The cost of the Ray test is likely to be the same as Feluda. The scientists had earlier said that the lab cost of the test came up to ₹500 per sample, but the final cost decision depends on the company marketing it.

Source: www.hindustantimes.com

Kumbh Mela being the biggest pilgrimage destination in Hinduism registers thousand of devotees from around the country. All the people attending the Kumbh Mela this year will have to follow the guidelines issued by the government and any violation of which would be liable for legal actions. Owing to the ongoing pandemic, social distancing and proper sanitation would be a huge concern for such a mass scale gathering. But as it’s said, crisis leads to opportunities, this on the other hand, poses a huge opportunity for the startups who are developing or have developed solutions for coping with sanitisation, tracking etc.

In view of the large crowd that gathered on the first shahi snan on Maha Shivaratri (March 11), the central government has now deployed a high-level team led by National Centre for Disease Control director Dr SK Singh to review the Covid-19 situation in Haridwar. The team will focus on the status of implementation of Covid-related SOPs for the Kumbh Mela. The health authorities, while speaking to media persons on Monday, said that the team will inspect whether the recommendations given to the state are being implemented or not. According to the health staff, there is still uncertainty as to whether the devotees will need to carry negative RT-PCR Covid-19 test reports or not. 

Meanwhile on Monday, 60 fresh Covid-19 cases were recorded in Uttarakhand. The cumulative Covid-19 cases tally now stands at 97,866 in the state. Also, the death of a 58-year-old man at Shri Mahant Indiresh Hospital pushed the toll of the virus to 1,704. Among the new cases, the maximum of 35 were recorded in Dehradun, followed by 10 in Haridwar, seven in Nainital, four in Udham Singh Nagar, and two each in Tehri and Pauri districts.

On Monday, 86 patients recovered from Covid-19 infection, taking the recovery rate to 96.22% in Uttarakhand. Till Monday, the state had 581 active cases. According to the official data, the state, till Monday, had managed to fully vaccinate 95,093 people for Covid-19 and more than 1.11 lakh elderly people have been given the first dose of vaccination. On Monday, Bishan Singh Chuphal, newly-appointed cabinet minister from Pithoragarh, also took the first dose of Covid-19 vaccination at Government Doon Medical College and Hospital.

Source: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

After being one of the few worthy vaccine candidates, Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech has made its next big move by entering as intranasal vaccine into the Phase 1 of human clinical trials. Though it would be quicker and also easier to administer, we will have to wait and weigh if it poses any adverse reactions to the administered person. If not, it would be a great way to quickly tackle the increasing numbers.

Bharat Biotech has codenamed it’s intranasal vaccine as BBV154, and have commenced its human clinical trials at some of the selected sites that include Hyderabad and Nagpur. The trials of the chimpanzee adenovirus vectored vaccine candidate, being developed in collaboration with the Washington University School of Medicine at St Louis (WashU), are to be conducted on 175 healthy volunteers aged between 18-60 years at four sites – Hyderabad, Nagpur, Patna and Chennai.

Apart from the Hyderabad hospital, the Gillurkar Multispeciality hospital at Nagpur, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Patna and the Apollo Specialty Hospital at Chennai will be conducting the vaccine trials, as per the CTRI (Clinical Trials Registry-India) website. While the institutional ethics committees of the Hyderabad, Nagpur and Patna hospitals have already approved the trials, the Chennai hospital is still awaiting the ethics committee nod. As part of the randomised, double-blinded trial to evaluate the reactogenicity, safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine candidate, the volunteers will be divided into three groups. In the first group, 70 volunteers will be administered a single dose of the vaccine followed by a placebo after 28 days. In the second group 70 volunteers will be given two doses of the vaccine 28 days apart and in the third group 35 volunteers will get two doses of the placebo (a substance that has no therapeutic value).

The company will conduct an interim analysis on day 42 after the administration of the first dose to ascertain the vaccine’s immunogenicity and safety before submitting the data to the CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation). Bharat Biotech plans to produce 1 billion doses of the non-invasive, vaccine, which is being touted as a game-changer as it will not only be quicker but also easier to administer.

Source: www.health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news