Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Germany have developed powerful nano propellers that can be steered into the interior of cells to deliver gene therapy. The magnets that these devices, each about the size of a bacterium, are made of were created for the first time for this very task.
Most powerful magnets are either not bio-compatible, lose their properties at small scales, or cannot be manufactured to have very fine details, so they cannot be used to manipulate tiny objects from a distance and inside the body. To overcome this, the team created magnets using an iron platinum “L10” alloy that has magnetic properties that “outperform” the most powerful micromagnets known until now (neodymium), yet are non-toxic and can be easily manufactured into tiny devices such as propellers.
The team from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems partnered with scientists from the Francis Crick Institute and the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research to coat nano propellers, made using the new magnets, with DNA that codes for the production of green fluorescent protein inside cells. The researchers then used a magnetic field to drive the propellers into lung carcinoma cells. After some time, the carcinoma cells began to glow green, demonstrating that the technique has great potential for highly accurate delivery of gene therapy and even drugs into specific parts of the body.
The first case in India was reported on 30th January 2020 from Thrissur, Kerala, a young woman studying medicine at Wuhan, China the epicenter of the nCoV-19 outbreak. Currently there are 20,080 cases spread throughout the country and a total of 645 deaths due to COVID19 as on 21st April 2020. With the proactive commitment by Honorable PM Shri Narendra Modi ji, early intervention like countrywide lockdown & social distancing, the doubling rate of the cases has risen to 7.4 days from 3.4 days before lockdown.
In India the number of cases are constantly rising, but so far, we have been able to successfully slow down the ongoing Pandemic from entering into Stage – III transmission. A lot of groundwork, insight, and brainstorming are involved in drafting the health policy and guidelines in such a situation. Though all the health workforce is involved at multiple levels, the role of a community medicine expert is maximum in controlling the spread in the community and managing the situation. The ongoing COVID19 Pandemic is one of the greatest disasters the globe has faced with the widespread transmission of infection leading to high mortality. The expertise of Community Medicine specialists has a major role in planning & implementation of guidelines & to interrupt the current Pandemic which may otherwise result with high proportions of mortality & morbidity.
Scope and role of Community Medicine in such a situation can be understood & described in a step by step manner as enumerated below:
- Reporting of cases from Wuhan province of China – clustering of cases in multiple provinces of China – leading to activation of a surveillance program for the cases and identifying that it’s an epidemic of a new disease (investigation of an epidemic – an aspect of Community Medicine).
- World Health Organization coming into action and declaring it as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern – suggesting evidence-based preventive measures to contain its spread to other countries. (WHO which is the highest agency of International Health drafting the International Guidelines on Travel, Social distancing, Quarantine, Contact tracing, etc., – again a part of Community Medicine).
- Surveillance units established at all entry & exit points or ports of different countries (again a subject of Community Medicine).
- Right now, India is at the verge of entering stage 3 of the Epidemic – The dynamics of an epidemic can only be understood thoroughly through Community Medicine by applying the principles of epidemiology – Study the natural history of Disease – describing the susceptible population – measures to prevent transmission – guidelines & policies to be practiced. Eminent Community Medicine experts all over the country are in close communication with the respective district/state administrations to arrest the epidemic in stage 3 itself.
- Formulation of Standard Operating Procedures for all healthcare personnel can be done adequately only if you possess deep knowledge about transmission and control of diseases (another aspect of Community Medicine)
- Organizing and providing training to trainers who would further train the other health care workers in SOPs (done by Community Medicine experts in collaboration with WHO and District Administration)
The researchers also believe that the new magnetic nanodevices can be used to deliver antibiotics at much lower doses, but more precisely where needed, thereby reducing the chances of antibiotic resistance.
Additionally, the team has tested the material for toxicity in living cells and it shows promising results that it produces little or no cytotoxicity.