Dr Sudershan Kumar
As the second wave is wreaking havoc and the nation is grappling with the second wave of the SARS-Cov-2 Coronavirus, some notorious elements of the society have initiated a vicious campaign aimed at demeaning and depreciating all the efforts of the Central Government in tackling the crisis. The second wave has been more devastating, with the number of cases rising manifold. Each day nearly 4000 people are losing their battle against the Coronavirus. Everyone, including those at the helm of the affairs, has been surprised given the sudden unexpected surge. The influx of COVID cases has further choked the already overwhelmed existing health infrastructure. People are running pillar to post in search of beds in hospitals.
The shortage of oxygen, medicines and vaccines have further compounded their miseries. But many organizations and NGOs have come forward, and so has the DRDO. It is one of the country’s premier organization, whose “Motto” is with the Sanskrit word “BALSAYA MOOLAM VIGYANAM” which means “Strength’s Origin is in Knowledge”. Moreover, as is also known, DRDO is for developing cutting-edge indigenous technologies for armed forces has now outreached to lend its support to the government, which is struggling to tackle the devastating second wave of the pandemic. The process has offered several products and facilities that could help the government tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
DRDO has come forward to install oxygen plants, augment the health infrastructure, and develop and arrange 2DG anti-COVID medicine production for the masses. Besides, DRDO has also developed several other products that prove to be of immense use for front line workers. First and foremost, to address the shortage of oxygen at various hospitals and also to overcome the logistics issues of transporting oxygen, DRDO has installed oxygen generation plants at multiple hospitals as per requirement. This oxygen plant can generate up to 1000litre oxygen per minute and can charge 195 cylinders per day. This can cater to 190 patients at a flow rate of 5 LPM time. This technology is an offshoot of the onboard oxygen generation system (OBOGS) project for medical grade oxygen onboard Tejas fighter aircraft. It utilizes the Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) technique and molecular sieve technology to generate oxygen from atmospheric air. Further, two PSA based oxygen generation plants have been installed in Delhi at the instance of Prime Minister. Besides, oxygen plant with low flow rate has also been developed. DRDO has also taken the initiative to rope in more industry partners for ramping up production. The salient features of these plants are: high reliability, full independency and automation, low cost, minimum maintenance, safe to operate with reduced logistic support. These oxygen plants work 24×7365 days. Moreover, 330 plants will be installed in three month’stime from PM’s Care fund. Secondly, to augment the health care infrastructure, DRDO has also made COVID hospitals at various locations across the country. DRDO in consultation with state health authorities has worked out the specifications of infrastructure especially on ICU beds, Oxygen beds and normal beds etc. All these hospitals are made as per specific standards. These makeshift hospitals comprise of negative pressure chambers, required to contain the spread of the virus. In addition to this pharmacy and diagnostic laboratory required for COVID tests have also been provided in the hospitals.
Simultaneously, required logistic as well as necessary support is also provided to the medical team so that there is no interruption of medicare. As of date, DRDO has established six make and shift tented hospitals and also upgraded three existing hospitals. Thirdly and most importantly, concerning saving lives of human beings from the SARS-Cov-2 virus infection, work for the development of anti-COVID therapeutic application of 2-DG molecule was also undertaken by INMAS (Institute of Nuclear medicine and Allied Sciences) scientists in the year 2020 itself. These scientists conducted experiments with the support of the Centre for Cellular Molecular Biology (CCMB) Hyderabad. During experiments, it was observed that this 2-DG molecule is effective against the SARS-Cov-2 virus by in hibiting virus growth. Consequently, based on the aforementioned experimental findings the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) gave clearance for its clinical trials. Accordingly, Phase-1, Phase-2a and Phase-2b trials were conducted on several COVID patients in different hospitals across the country and encouraging results were obtained.
It proved beyond doubt that the drug is safe to administer, and patients have shown significant recovery. Based on these significant results, DCGI further permitted clinical trials. Accordingly, Phase-3 trials were conducted between December 2020 and March 2021 at COVID designated hospitals across the country. Again the data was presented to DCGI. In the 2-DG arm, a significantly higher proportion of patients improved symptomatically and became free from supplemented oxygen dependence (42% vs 31%) in comparison to standard of care (SOC), indicating early relief from oxygen therapy. Based on these findings, DCGI granted permission for the emergency usage of the drug. Being a generic molecule and analogue of glucose, 2-DG can be easily produced and made available in plenty within the country.
The drug comes in powder form in sachets. It is taken orally by dissolving in water. It accumulates in virus-infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy production. Its selective accumulation in virally accumulated cells makes the drug unique. In the ongoing COVID wave, this drug is expected to save precious lives due to drug operation in infected cells. Lastly, one of the DRDO laboratories, Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotic (CAIR) Bangalore in collaboration with 5C Network & HCG Academics, developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) based intelligent, secure web-based SARS-Cov-2 virus detection application software called ATMAN-AI. This software has the ability to detect Covid-19 infection by analyzing X-rays images. This web-based COVID detection software has a detection accuracy of around 96.4 percent. This will prove useful for early detection of COVID infection in patients. Needless to mention here, the DRDO fraternity had started developing products for the support of corona warriors and front line workers from March 20th 2020itself, the time when coronavirus was first detected in India.
The number of products developed are: Five layered 99 masks for doctors treating COVID-19patients in hospitals, Personnel Sanitizer Enclosures commonly known as “Full Body Disinfection Chamber, Bio suits the most unique the fire-fighting equipment as an area sanitizer, multi-patient ventilators, hand sanitizers, face mask and many others. The author is of the view that in this country, there is no dearth of talent. The innovative minds working in DRDO and other scientific organizations can produce wonders. There is a need for proper coordination and channelization among all the stakeholders. Moreover, change in mindset to accept the use of advanced technologies for the welfare of human beings and with a sense of responsibility is also required. Therefore, it is high time, when the nation is society should join hands to fight this invincible enemy and extend support to people in all possible ways rather than criticizing each other for selfish motto.
(The author is former Director General & Special Secretary DRDO, MoD GoI)
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