News on Science, Technology and Research in India
“We have been working on this tool for around two years. But, in late January, when the outbreak hit its peak in China, we began testing it to see if it can work for Covid-19. It took us around two months to come up with these results,” said Dr Debjyoti Chakraborty, from the Institute of Genomic and Integrative Biology (IGIB), CSIR’s premier laboratory in New Delhi.
A group of scientists from Department of Biotechnology’s New Delhi-based National Institute of Plant Genome Research, University of Hyderabad and Indian Institute of Pulses Research has raised a genetically modified chickpea variety that shows high drought tolerance and high iron and zinc content in seeds by reducing the level of a plant growth substance called cytokinin in the root.
India is earning a name in terms of new research across the world. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have mixed clay and limestone to create concrete that can replace cement.
The vaccine candidates are small coronaviral peptides, molecules used by cells to induce an immune response against the virus.
A technology has been developed by an incubatee company of Scitech Park, Pune which offers an effective solution for India’s fight against Covid 19 by reducing the viral load of infected areas within a room significantly within an hour. The technology has been developed under the NIDHI PRAYAS program initiated by the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
According to the duo, the power lies in electrifying water droplets to kill coronavirus. They invented a way to kill the virus using charged or ionised water droplets.
Minal boasts 10 years of experience in the diagnostic field, primarily in the area of molecular diagnostics of infectious diseases, diagnostic product development and R&D management functions. Bhosale has the experience of working on the swine flu disease at NIV, Pune, during the 2009 outbreak.
As the world races to find a cure for COVID-19, scientists from Hyderabad-based Tata Consultancy Services Innovation Labs-Hyderabad (Life Sciences division), using Artificial Intelligence, found 31 new promising chemical compounds, which they claim can be synthesised and tested further to find perfect drug to fight the dreaded disease.
Recipient of the INSPIRE Faculty Award instituted by Department of Science & Technology, Dr. Achintya Kumar Dutta from IIT Bombay along with his research group is working to develop new methods for quantum chemistry and implement them in efficient and free software to study electron attachment to aqueous DNA which has big implications in radiation therapy-based treatment of cancer.
International Advanced Centre for Powder Metallurgy & New Materials (ARCI), an autonomous R&D Centre of Department of Science and Technology (DST), has developed ultrafast laser surface texturing technology, which can improve the fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines.
