x
Help Us Guide You Better
best online ias coaching in india
2020-03-12

Download Pdf

banner

Developmental Issues
www.thehindu.com

“Monkeys, mice and ferrets are helping scientists to fight coronavirus because animal models can reveal how infections develop and aid efforts to develop drugs and vaccines”, the prestigious scientific journal ‘Nature’ has reported in its latest issue (12 March).

The disease is now a pandemic according to the World Health Organization.

Also read | What is a pandemic?

It is notable that the ferret work is led by India-born Professor S.S. Vasan at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency.

His Dangerous Pathogens team is the first in the world to establish the ferret model for SARS-CoV-2.

“A team led by S. S. Vasan at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong has found that the animals are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. The researchers are now studying the course of infection, before testing potential vaccines. Ferrets are a popular model for influenza and other respiratory infections because their lung physiology is similar to that of humans, and researchers hope they will mimic aspects of COVID-19 in people, such as its spread.”, says the journal Nature.

Researchers in China, who had a headstart, are leading the work on infecting monkeys and transgenic mice that have the human ACE2 gene. But the journal warns that no animal model is perfect, and monkeys and mice tell researchers different things about infection, shedding light on factors such as the role of the immune system or how the virus spreads.

Explained | How is India containing COVID-19?

Prof. Vasan, whose research is funded by the global Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) at the CSIRO, has said: “We are operating at speed in response to a global public health emergency while adhering to strict attention to detail and regulatory requirements which makes this so challenging. We’ve grown the virus for our research and have also reconfirmed the genomic sequence published by the Doherty Institute. Next we’re aiming to get a better understanding of the virus, so CSIRO can begin testing new potential vaccines and therapeutics being developed for efficacy. We have got promising results with our initial susceptibility studies and are in the process of conducting natural disease progression studies.”

COVID-19 | Interactive map of confirmed coronavirus cases in India

In the meantime, CEPI has announced funding for two additional vaccines, taking the total number of rival vaccine candidates to six.

These will have to be tested in animals such as mice, ferrets and monkeys before they can enter human clinical trials. Whether this whole process will be fast enough as we now have a pandemic is the multi-billion dollar question.

The Hindu Group’s BusinessLine previously reported that the Asian Development Bank has estimated the loss to global economy could be  more than $100 billion.

You have reached your limit for free articles this month.

Register to The Hindu for free and get unlimited access for 30 days.

Already have an account ? Sign in

Sign up for a 30-day free trial. Sign Up

Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list.

Enjoy reading as many articles as you wish without any limitations.

A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes.

Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly.

A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences.

We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day.

*Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper ,crossword, iPhone, iPad mobile applications and print. Our plans enhance your reading experience.

Why you should pay for quality journalism - Click to know more

Please enter a valid email address.

Subscribe to The Hindu now and get unlimited access.

Already have an account? Sign In

Sign up for a 30-day free trial. Sign Up

To continue enjoying The Hindu, You can turn off your ad blocker or Subscribe to The Hindu.

END
© Zuccess App by crackIAS.com