IISc, nine others win challenge to tackle drug-resistant infections
The initiative aims to foster the identification and development of world-class, AMR-focused innovative solutions to tackle antimicrobial resistance in India and benefit Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The winners will be supported by C-CAMP and GAMRIF.
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The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Using bacteriophages to combat antimicrobial resistance
If one has a urinary tract infection, for instance, the pathology lab will identify the bacterium to be, say, Escherichia coli. It will also determine the pathogen's sensitivity to over a dozen antibiotics. It is fine if the bacterium is sensitive to many or all of the drugs. The nightmare scenario is when it is resistant to all of them. Increasingly, antibiotics don't work because the bacteria have developed resistance. It is estimated that globally about five million people are dying of conditions related to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) each year. This may double by 2050. It is a silent pandemic. What is the solution? Largely, pharmaceutical companies have lost interest in developing new antibiotics. Whereas a drug for cancer is used for a long time, antibiotics are given for just a few days. Also, due to the problem of AMR, new antibiotics are used as sparingly as possible to prevent the development of resistance. Therefore there is no financial incentive for companies to work on new antibiotics. There is some drug development happening but probably not enough to address the AMR problem. Bacteriophages are 'good viruses' that naturally prey on bacteria. They are all around us, in the water, in the soil, in our gut, on our skin, etc. There are believed to be 10-times as many phages as bacteria on the earth. Phages were beginning to be used against bacterial infections about a century ago, but antibiotics superseded them once they were discovered. Unlike an antibiotic, which may be able to kill many species of bacteria, phages may only kill a few strains of a particular bacterium. Therefore only countries in the Soviet bloc, cut off from the antibiotics, continued to use them. An institute in Tbilisi, Georgia, with over 100 years of experience, is famous for its phage expertise. Due to AMR, the rest of the world is now rediscovering phages and relevant research is ongoing in many countries. Phages have been used for burns, foot ulcers, gut infections, respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, etc. There are two main strategies that have been used. One, isolate the bacteria from the infected tissue, check which phage works against it in the lab, grow more of that phage and administer it to the patient. These phages may come from a phage bank of one's own or in very serious cases one may even ask phage banks elsewhere in the world for help. These are natural phages. Then there are genetically engineered phages, which have been modified in the lab to, say, expand the variety of bacteria they can kill. To the extent that phages are being used as drugs, they have a unique feature. Bacteria can evolve to be resistant to an antibiotic; likewise, bacteria can evolve to be resistant to a phage. The unique part is that the phages, too, can evolve to avoid the bacterial resistance. The drug is not a constant but an evolving entity. This is therefore a headache for the regulators, since no drug has ever been approved that evolves. Further, since phages are very specific to bacteria, one phage will not work against a large fraction of, say, foot ulcers, as happens with an antibiotic (until we have to consider AMR). So it is also challenging to conduct randomised controlled trials when the drug needed for each patient may be different. The world is desperate for new treatment modalities for AMR. Thus far, no government in the Western world has approved a phage as a drug. But they may allow patients to access phages in the form of 'compassionate use', 'emergency-use expanded access' or 'special access' routes. These are often approvals for single, named patients who are in desperate need. Yet another route, used in Belgium for instance, is the 'magistral route' where particular pharmacies can 'compound' a phage specifically for a particular patient. The regulatory headache may be solved if the following scenario, which Jean-Paul Pirnay and colleagues in Belgium are researching, works out. Create a device in which all of the following steps can be conducted: isolate the bacteria from an infection, sequence its genome, use AI to determine which phage genome is the most likely to work, create the phage from scratch in the device, and administer it to the patient on the spot. In such a scenario, the phage wouldn't be regulated as a drug. Instead, the device would be regulated. And the device would only contain routinely used molecules such as nucleotides and enzymes that would be used to assemble the phage. The scale of AMR is such that we need many large initiatives to try and tackle it. If a group of microbiologists is looking for a grand challenge that uses AI, surely the Pirnay route is one worth exploring? Gayatri Saberwal is a consultant at the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
New tools offer breakthrough in tackling 'hidden hunger' in India
NEW DELHI: A new toolkit developed by The George Institute for Global Health (GIGH), India, in collaboration with Rutgers University, US and other international partners, promises to reshape India's response to malnutrition by helping map and understand its complex food environments. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The study, published in Current Developments in Nutrition, addresses how availability, affordability, and access to food influence nutritional outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like India. The GIGH is an independent medical research organisation with a focus on improving the health of millions worldwide, particularly those living in disadvantaged settings. Established in 1999 and headquartered in Sydney, it operates major research centres in India, China, and the UK. Led by Shauna Downs of Rutgers and featuring Suparna Ghosh-Jerath from The George Institute, the research introduces a 'Food Environment Toolbox' that includes seven practical tools such as participatory mapping and market assessments. These tools were piloted across rural, urban, and peri-urban areas in India and Cambodia. India's food landscape is shifting rapidly, with growing market dependence not matched by better nutrition. 'We developed the toolbox through an iterative process, ensuring it reflects the realities of LMICs,' said Dr. Ghosh-Jerath. The country continues to battle a double burden—widespread nutrient deficiencies alongside rising diet-related diseases. National surveys reveal severe anaemia among women and children, underscoring the need for diet quality over mere calorie sufficiency. The new toolkit could enhance key nutrition schemes like POSHAN Abhiyaan, ICDS, and the Mid-Day Meal Scheme by aligning them more closely with regional food realities. 'The tools were adaptable across diverse contexts,' noted Dr. Downs, calling them a 'timely step toward more effective, evidence-based nutrition policy.'
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Trump vs Musk: Public feud threatens $22 billion in SpaceX deals, competitors gain ground as rift escalates
SpaceX, left, and Elon Musk (Image credits: X @SpaceX) About $22 billion in government contracts held by SpaceX are now in jeopardy, with several US space programs potentially facing major disruptions following a heated public feud between the space company founder Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump on Thursday. Trump claimed that ending Musk's federal subsidies would save 'billions and billions of dollars.' In response, Musk threatened to begin 'decommissioning' SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, a critical vehicle used by Nasa for transporting astronauts. However, just hours later, Musk appeared to backtrack. After a follower on X urged both men to "cool off and take a step back for a couple of days," Musk replied, 'Good advice. Ok, we won't decommission Dragon.' Musk's SpaceX is a cornerstone of America's space infrastructure, from satellite launches to crewed spaceflights. But tensions boiled over after Trump criticized Musk's favored spending policies and withdrew support for Jared Isaacman, the billionaire private astronaut once expected to lead the US space agency, claiming he was 'totally Democrat.' Trump is reportedly considering retired Air Force Lt Gen Steven Kwast, an advocate for space-based defense and competition with China, to lead the US space agency. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Device Made My Power Bill Drop Overnight elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Pre-Order Undo His nomination would signal a shift away from Musk-style innovation toward a more national security-focused approach. The leadership vacuum comes amid deep proposed cuts to US space programs under Trump's budget plan, which would cancel dozens of science initiatives and halt Artemis moon missions after the third launch. Musk's Mars-focused ambitions, previously central to Trump's space agenda, now appear at odds with shifting political priorities. Despite White House plans to scale back, the senate commerce Committee on Thursday released a version of the budget bill that restores funding for Artemis missions four and five and provides at least $1 billion annually for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket through 2029. Whether Trump accepts or fights these provisions will reveal how much sway Musk still holds. SpaceX dominance under threat SpaceX has secured roughly $15 billion in government contracts, including major Nasa deals for the Falcon 9 and Starship launch systems and Pentagon contracts for national security satellite missions. The company is also building a secretive surveillance satellite network for a US intelligence agency and developing a military offshoot of Starlink known as Starshield. Shares of EchoStar and AST SpaceMobile, two rivals to SpaceX's Starlink satellite network, jumped 16 per cent and 8 per cent respectively this week, reflecting investor bets that Musk's fallout with Trump could open the door to alternatives. Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Jeff Bezos ' Blue Origin are all developing systems that could one day replace some of SpaceX's functions. Amazon's Project Kuiper, meanwhile, is emerging as a potential Starlink rival, with enough satellites expected in orbit by the end of the year to begin offering services, including to the US government. Former Nasa deputy administrator Lori Garver warned that while canceling SpaceX's contracts would likely be illegal, the broader situation is troubling. 'A rogue CEO threatening to decommission spacecraft, putting astronauts' lives at risk, is untenable,' she said.
