DBT-NII receives trademark for India’s first indigenous tumour Antigen:
- Cancer kills 8.51 lakh people in India every year (International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2020,Globocan).
- As per World Health Organization (WHO), one in 10 Indians will develop cancer during their lifetime, and one in 15 will die of cancer. Therefore, it is all the more critical to make extraordinary breakthroughs and innovations for this deadly disease.
- To successfully implement innovation newer modalities for cancer treatment, researchers have been working together to translate new scientific discoveries into improved care for cancer patients.
- Over the past two decades, this team has been engaged in translating breakthrough that promises to add a highly potent weapon to the armoury against cancer especially employing targeted cancer Immunotherapy.
- India’s first indigenous tumour antigen SPAG9 was discovered by Dr Anil Suri in 1998 who is heading the Cancer Research Program at NII.
- In a recent development, theSPAG9 antigen has received the trademark ASPAGNIITM. Currently, ASPAGNIITM is being used in dendritic cell (DC) based immunotherapy in cervical, ovarian cancer and will also be used in breast cancer.
- Immunotherapy is a new approach that exploits the body’s inner capability to put up a fight against cancer.
- With this approach, either the immune system is given a boost, or the T cells are “trained’’ to identify recalcitrant cancer cells and kill them.
- The ASPAGNIITM is a true example of translational cancer research and the Atmanirbhar Bharat
- It will eventually be helpful to patients in India and the world. This will be a real morale boost in affordable, personalised,and indigenous products for cancer treatment.
IIT KGP’s New method to detect tropical cyclones in northern Indian Ocean region:
- Researchers have developed a technique that could be useful in the early detection of development or strengthening of Tropical Cyclones in the atmospheric column prior to satellites over ocean surface in the North Indian Ocean region.
- Researchers have devised a novel method using Eddy detection technique to investigate the formative stages and advance detection time of tropical cyclogenesis in the region.
- Early detection of tropical cyclones has wide socio-economic implications.
- So far, remote sensing techniques have detected them the earliest. However, this detection was possible only after system developed as a well-marked low-pressure system over the warm ocean surface.
- A larger time gap between detection and the impact of the cyclone could help in preparation activities.
- Prior to the formation of cyclonic system over the warm oceanic environment, the initial atmospheric instability mechanism, as well as the vortex development, is triggered at higher atmospheric levels.
- These cyclonic eddies are prominent features in the vertical atmospheric column encompassing the disturbance environment with a potential to induce and develop into a well-marked cyclonic depression over the warm ocean surface. They could be used for detection of prediction of cyclones
- The method aims to identify initial traces of pre-cyclonic eddy vortices in the atmospheric column and track its spatio-temporal evolution. They used a coarser grid resolution of 27 kilometers for identification and a finer resolution of nine km to evaluate the characteristics of eddy vortices.
- The study was conducted with cases of four post-monsoon severe cyclones — Phailin (2013), Vardah (2013), Gaja (2018), Madi (2013), and two pre-monsoon cyclones Mora (2017) and Aila (2009) that developed over North Indian Ocean.
- The study made a comprehensive investigation on the behavior of eddies in an atmospheric column for non-developing cases and compared these findings with developing cases.
Technology for Hydrogen Utilization in Spark-Ignition Engine Generator for Electricity Generation with Zero-Emission Developed by IIT Delhi Researchers:
- Diesel-fuelled internal combustion engine generator for electrical power generation mainly emits carbon monoxide (CO), Hydrocarbon (HC), Smoke, Particulate Matter (PM), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) and Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions resulting in a contribution to air pollution.
- To tackle this, researchers at the Engines and Unconventional Fuels Laboratory, IIT Delhi developed a new technology and built “Hydrogen fuelled Spark-Ignition Engine Generator” for the utilization of hydrogen in internal combustion engines for zero-emission with higher thermal efficiency.
- As Hydrogen does not contain carbon, the hydrogen-fuelled engine does not emit any carbonaceous emissions. The emission ‘oxides of nitrogen’ can be controlled to ultra-low level using the appropriate technologies
- Hydrogen is available as a tangible product from industries including chloro-Alkali, ammonia, and refineries. Hydrogen can also be produced from the splitting of water using electrolyzers coupled with renewable energy sources (solar, wind, biomass, etc.).
- The surplus electricity can be converted into hydrogen using the electrolyzer and then, the electricity can be produced using this engine whenever needed such as meeting peak load demand, no short-term grid power available, emergency, etc.
- The hydrogen fuel at up to 4 bar from the gaseous cylinder (150 bar / 350 bar / 700 bar) or the pipeline stored at low pressure (10 bar and above) in the industries will be injected into the intake manifold of the engine.
- The technology will be useful to the industries (chloro-Alkali, Ammonia, etc.), those are producing hydrogen as tangible or main products, to generate electrical power to meet their inhouse-power requirement in the industry”.
- The developed hydrogen engine can also be used in decentralized power generation for industries, buildings, etc. Thus, the green power with hydrogen can be generated using the multi-cylinder spark-ignition engine generator with the developed technology for strengthening the sustainable energy and environment.”
