Biotech Meets Nanotech

In India, Nano is the name adopted for a little car which was meant to be the most affordable car in the world.

On the other side of the globe, in USA, a scientist-entrepreneur of Indian origin is ready with something on a completely different scale. Dr. Anita Goel of Nanobiosym, has created a portable device called Gene-RADAR which, for the first time, can detect deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in less than an hour, using just a drop of saliva or blood.

Incredible as this may sound, it is one of the many strides that being made with 'devices' that are no bigger than some molecules. In this case, Gene-RADAR uses nano-machines to detect specific DNA and RNA bio-markers in real time.

What are these nano-machines? A nano refers to a billionth measure (1/10^9). So a nanometer is a meter divided by 1000,000,000. It is a scale on which you can describe the size of molecules, parts of a living cell and the wavelength of visible light-spectrum.

Such devices are beginning to be used to detect the presence of viruses. As of now, the most accurate form of HIV viral load testing is  based on polymerase chain reaction technology,  a technique which amplifies a few copies of a piece of DNA to generate thousands or millions of a particular sequence for testing. In the U.S., the test costs about $200, and takes at least two weeks to get results, since the equipment used is large and not found in most hospitals.

At AIIMS in India, the premier, government-subsidized tertiary hospital in New Delhi, the same test costs about Rs.6000 (~ USD 100). Even then, it is way beyond the reach of regular patients.The is some hope that Nanobiosym's innovations will help bring down the cost of these tests.

Dr. Goel is  a pioneer in the emerging field of nanobiophysics, a new science at the convergence of physics, nanotechnology, and biomedicine. Her company aims to drastically cut the time and cost involved in diagnosing diseases, especially in parts of the world where it is difficult to install cumbersome lab equipment. Gene-RADARs are going to be field-tested in Rwanda next year, and possibly in India, later.

Under the current set of laws and regulations covering clinical trials, it is difficult to test the technology in India. It would be interesting to see how the device fares in Rwanda.

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REFERENCES & LINKS

* What to consider before a DNA test -- http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323308504579087103446161772

* Beikimpis, Victoria (2013) - Heal Thyself - http://mag.newsweek.com/2013/12/06/heal-thyself.html

* http://www.nanobiosym.com/our-team.html
- science & tech in society forum - http://www.stsforum.org/

* 23andMe - http://www.newsweek.com/fda-doesnt-want-you-unzip-your-genes-207358
- 23andMe - DIY genetic screening device - uses just a saliva swab
- Promised “health reports on 254 disease and conditions,” “carrier status,” “health risks” and “drug response” as a “first step in prevention…"

* http://venturebeat.com/2013/11/26/warning-letter-to-23andme-could-be-a-landmark-case-for-health-care/
- The FDA recently clamped down on a mobile medical app called uChek, pointing out that the company’s marketing was misleading.
-  Navigenics (a 23andMe rival that was acquired by Life Technologies for an unspecified sum)

* http://venturebeat.com/2012/08/13/using-a-few-drops-of-saliva-23andme-creates-a-song-out-of-your-dna/

* http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-25/a-portable-hiv-test-that-provides-results-in-minutes
- Gene-Radar uses nano-machines to detect specific DNA and RNA bio-markers in real time
- other lab-on-a-chip project - Theranos, for example, recently made its instant diagnosis technology available in some Walgreens (WAG) stores

* http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/bioflash/2013/12/still-in-stealth-nanobiosym-sheds.html

* http://mag.newsweek.com/2013/10/18/cervical-cancer.html

Squirrels on a Chinar Tree

At an IGNCA exhibition of Mughal miniature paintings this was one of my favorites. 

Painted about 500 years ago by an artist named Abu'l Hassan and titled "Squirrels on a Plane Tree", it shows a hunter attempting to climb up a lovely, lone Chinar, sending a dozen furry tails scampering into the autumn foliage.

One question remained though - are the squirrels in the upper Himalaya's different from the common striped ones you see on the plains? 

The squirrels in this painting certainly look a lot more like the ones in the Ushiku Daibutsu zoo in Japan, than any types I've seen in India so far..

Japan's Not-so-Royal Expectations

The Emperor & Empress of Japan are now on a visit to India after 53 years. Highlighting the significance of this visit, Sanjaya Baru, in his article, "Love from Tokyo" (IE, 21 Nov., 2013), describes how a seemingly Indian-looking sculpture behind a Tokyo hotel reminded him of the ‘firm foundations of an ancient civilizational link’ between the two countries.

Even a cursory look at the recorded history of the two countries will tell you that if at all there is a civilizational link' between India and Japan, it runs through China. The iconography that so impressed Baru does indeed come in many forms, and they all have Chinese names. The six-handed figure may have been that of "Kannon", the Goddess of Mercy. At the ancient shrines in Kyoto there are also numerous icons of "Binzuru", better known as the Buddhist monk, Pindola Bharadwaja.

Tenuous historical connections aside, as we prepare to welcome the royal couple it would be useful to remind urselves that Japan's monarchy, has only been a front for alternate power centers in Japan for nearly a thousand years. Ever since the military generals - the Shoguns - usurped political power after the Warring States Periods (Sengoku Jidai), the monarchs have mostly been playing a symbolic role scripted outside their palaces.

Symbols are of course powerful instruments in nation-building.

Japan's monarchy, as it exists today, is a carefully constructed artifact of the Meiji Restoration period (1868-1912). It was in this remarkable phase of Japan's history that reformers emerging from the Samurai elite displaced the Shogun and notionally restored power to the monarchy.

Behind the scenes, a band of young, bold reformers - most of them freshly minted from foreign universities - rammed through tough reforms that made Japan what it is today. Almost overnight, they abolished Samurai class titles and distinctions; imposed free, compulsory education and established an effective national healthcare system.

The reformers also decided to replace Buddhism, which had turned 'decadent, meek and submissive', with a state-sponsored version of Shintoism, headed by the monarch himself. Thus an emperor, who could go shopping in Tokyo without being recognized by the public, was re-launched by the Meiji nationalists to play the role of a 'Living God' and foisted as the 'Symbol of Japan'.

The strategy was a runaway success. A deeply feudal, agrarian society transformed itself within just a few decades into a modern industrial powerhouse, and a shining example to the rest of the under-developed world.

It is an enduring Asian tragedy that Japan's emergence as a westernized, industrial state also turned it into yet another, relentless, exploitative colonial power. As Imperial Japan marched from one conquest to another; starting with Manchuria, Taiwan and Korea, to almost the whole of East Asia, it left in its wake, a legacy that rankles even today: Unit 731, Nanjing, Comfort Women, and a string of disputed islands.

The Japan that re-emerged from the war, and American occupation, was a very different country. Article 9 of its Constitution “renounced war forever”. Under Prime Minister Yoshida’s doctrine, it outsourced national defense to USA, and diverted all its resources towards building a strong export-oriented economy.

In many ways, the post-war economic boom also turned it into a timid, insular society which, like a rich moneylender imagines that throwing money around can solve the problems of the world. Today it is a country where the old outnumber the young, and its university graduates increasingly prefer to stay at home, in cities, rather than venture into the outside world. Japan’s lifeline of export-oriented industries is steadily losing out to other Asian economies - especially South Korea, Taiwan and China.

And yet, as we have seen in the aftermath of the 2011 'Triple Disaster', few people in the world have the disciple, stoicism and pragmatism to bounce-back, and to thrive against all odds.

In this context, as the Japan reaches out to strengthen its linkages with India, let us let us clearly recognize our own perceived weaknesses. First of all, we talk too much. The O-shaberi Indo-jin (glib-talking Indian) is a title we could do without. We prefer to indulge in sentimental tosh instead of acting on practical decisions. We tend to sacrifice long-term relationships for short-term gains.

The Japanese need a stable, predictable destination to park their investments. They need a steady source for rare earths, iron ore and other raw materials. They need greater access to our markets and human resources. Instead of swiftly bridging these demand-supply gaps, we flip-flop over many things such as the dedicated freight corridor project. After years of negotiations our finance ministry now reported to be having 'second thoughts' about accepting a US$ 4.5 billion loan for the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project.

All said and done, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko are being sent here on a business trip, let us not bore them with fairy tales about civilizational linkages. It is pragmatism that brings the Japanese to India. Lets us not disappoint them with our version of business-as-usual.

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LINKS

* Chellany, Brahma -- http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/brahma-chellaney-analyzes-the-geopolitical-significance-of-the-japanese-emperor-s-upcoming-trip-to-india

* http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/japan-emperor-wife-to-visit-india-from-nov-30/article5375576.ece
- In the financial year 2011-12, India-Japan bilateral trade reached USD 18.43 billion.
- 2012 marked the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Japan

* Dikshit, Sandeep (10Jul13) - http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/japanese-emperor-empress-to-visit-india/article4898930.ece

* http://thediplomat.com/2013/11/india-to-host-japanese-emperor/

* http://www.independent.ie/world-news/letter-to-emperor-sparks-japan-row-29734991.html
- MP - Taro Yamamoto - letter to HH

November 2013 - Interesting Articles & Links

The Four "Cs" of Innovation -- http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/sami-mahroum-on-the-global-competition-for-the-next-new-thing

* Aravind, Indulekha (2013): A LIFESAVING WARMTH, BS 16Nov13 -- http://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/a-life-saving-warmth-113111601151_1.html

- Rahul Panicker, Jane Chen, Naganand Murty and Linus Liang -- Embrace

-  Stanford University class titled Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability

- According to WHO, 20 million premature and low-birth-weight babies are born every year, out of which four million die in the first month

- $90,000 fellowship from Echoing Green Ventures and another $35,000 for winning the Stanford business plan competition.

- Investors and supporters include Vinod Khosla's Khosla Impact Fund and Jeff Skoll's Capricorn Investment Group, as well as Ranjan Pai of the Manipal Group and Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

* The Employee - 'best short movie ever made' - http://www.artthesystem.com/2013/11/the-best-short-movie-has-ever-made-102.html

* Geeta Govinda - Dheera Samire Yamuna Theere -- http://gitagovinda.wordpress.com/2012/11/22/ashtapadi11/

- Meaning -- http://www.sangeetasudha.org/jayadeva/j10.html

* Ram Guha on Nehru -- http://www.telegraphindia.com/1131116/jsp/opinion/story_17562525.jsp#.UofZgY2x8yp

- Great human achievements are always the result of combined endeavors in which numerous people take part. It may be that one person takes the last step, but the other persons also count and should not be forgotten.

* Tharoor on Modi -- https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/shashi-tharoor-on-india-s-main-opposition-leader--narendra-modi

* Obituary - Augusto Odone - the economist behind a medical breakthrough - http://www.economist.com/news/obituary/21589838-augusto-odone-world-bank-economist-who-derived-lorenzos-oil-treat-his-son-died-october

- ADRENOLEUKODYSTROPHY (ALD) is a rare and terrible disease. A faulty X-chromosome lets very-long-chain fatty acids accumulate, and cripple the body. They eat away at the myelin sheath which insulates the nervous system. The victims—mostly boys—become mute, deaf, blind and paralysed. Then they die, often by choking on their own saliva.

-  A mixture of oleic and erucic acids (in effect, olive and rapeseed oil) should, he reasoned, inhibit the effects of the deadly acids, soaking them up before they hurt the nervous system.

- The charity founded in Lorenzo’s name, the Myelin Project, now pays for gene therapy and stem-cell research.

* Kochi Metro gets Rs.1500 Cr loan from French agency, AFD @ 11% -- http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/kochi-metro-bags-rs1500crore-loan/article5355438.ece

- Total project cost - Rs.5537 Cr

* Biotech transforming soya oil -- "In a Bean -- a Boon to Biotech" -- http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/16/business/in-a-bean-a-boon-to-biotech.html

- Despite industry promises to create better-tasting or more nutritional foods, virtually all the biotech crops introduced since 1996 have been aimed at helping farmers control weeds and insects. That has made it easier for various consumer interest groups to oppose the crops.

- Monsanto’s Vistive Gold soybeans and DuPont Pioneer’s Plenish soybeans are engineered to silence the gene for an enzyme that converts oleic fatty acid into linoleic acid.

*  Raghavan, Srinath on Sri Lanka - http://www.asianage.com/columnists/choking-chogm-588

* Poem - Charles Burkowsky - Go All the Way -- http://vimeo.com/78472610

* Dance moves - http://www.edisproduction.de/2013/10/20/man-with-awesome-dance-moves-will-amaze-you/

* http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2013/11/typhoon-philippines?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/bl/horrorafterHaiyan

* Introverts -- http://themetapicture.com/how-to-interact-with-the-introverted/

* Two Theories about Gold Imports - http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/devesh-kapur-marla-spivack-arvind-subramanian-milan-vaishnav-two-theories-about-gold-113110500998_1.html#!

- while India claims to import large amounts of gold from Switzerland (more than $26 billion), Switzerland reports that it shipped gold worth less than $6 million (yes, million, not billion) to India

- Switzerland ranked first among the major countries to which India despatched its secret tax and finance-related queries (232 in all) during the last fiscal year.

* Best coin ever spent -- http://www.edisproduction.de/2013/10/14/best-coin-ever-spent/

* Partition photos - LIFE - http://greatgameindia.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/rare-photos-of-partition-of-india-1947/

* 10 things Japan gets awesomely right - http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/11/09/10-things-japan-gets-awesome-right/

* 10 Corporations Control Almost Everything you Buy (in USA) - http://www.policymic.com/articles/71255/10-corporations-control-almost-everything-you-buy-this-chart-shows-how

* Vikramaditya and his Nava Ratnas - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikramaditya

* Wife's Cancer -- http://thefreethoughtproject.com/guys-wife-cancer-unforgettable-3-photos-destroyed-me/

* 39 Life Lessons - http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11523/39-life-lessons-ive-learned-in-39-years.html

* Why do we draw Rangolis? -- http://guruprasad.net/posts/why-do-indians-draw-rangoli-scientific-reason/

* Dale Carnegie - http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21588832-folksy-tips-father-self-help-america-how-succeed

* Yakuza -- http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21588937-japanese-bank-wrestles-lending-gangsters-loans-and-sharks

* Saar Please give me  posting -- http://www.accountabilityindia.in/raghubytes/saar-please-give-me-posting

* Tweet Technology -- http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-07/the-hidden-technology-that-makes-twitter-huge

* Ponnappa, Shyam (2013): BS - http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/shyam-ponappa-predictability-in-infrastructure-113110601126_1.html

* 10 things Japan gets horribly wrong -- http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/11/06/10-things-japan-gets-horribly-wrong/

* Guha, Ramachandra (2013):  A DANGLING CONVERSATION -- http://caravanmagazine.in/essay/dangling-conversation?page=0%2C0

* WB data - GDP indicators - http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG

- net ODA flows - http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/DT.ODA.ALLD.CD/countries - India $3b (2011)

* 15 most inspirational books for entrepreneurs -- http://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/229656

* India's Middle-class Defer Dreams -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/economic-slowdown-inflation-cause-indias-middle-class-to-defer-dreams

* http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/education/edlife/looking-for-intimacy-in-the-age-of-facebook.html

* Anyone can be a polymath - http://www.aeonmagazine.com/world-views/anyone-can-learn-to-be-a-polymath/

* Venture Japan -- http://venturejapan.blogspot.jp/2013/10/2013-10-19-venture-into-japan-1-13.html

* Flight Crash Memorial -- http://www.viralnova.com/i-noticed-this-tiny-thing-on-google-maps-and-when-i-zoomed-in-well-nothing-could-prepare-me/

* Bhattacharya, Jyotirmoy (2013): INTELLIGENT DEVICES, EPW, 2Nov13 -- http://www.epw.in/postscript/intelligent-devices.html

- Arduino - pen source electronics -- http://www.epw.in/postscript/intelligent-devices.html

* Asagne, Julian (2013): GOOGLE AND THE BANALITY OF DONT BE EVIL -- http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/opinion/sunday/the-banality-of-googles-dont-be-evil.html?_r=1&

* Doodles from Ecuador -- http://twistedsifter.com/2013/10/doodles-that-incorporate-everyday-objects-javier-perez/

* NItish Kumar vs. Modi - Repartee - http://www.telegraphindia.com/1131030/jsp/frontpage/story_17510768.jsp#.UnOaMfk_us3

* Virgin America - Airline Instructional Video - http://elitedaily.com/news/world/virgin-americas-new-flight-instruction-safety-video-amazing/

* Kashyap, Anurag (2013) - short film - THAT DAY AFTER EVERYDAY -- http://www.filmycurry.com/that-day-after-everyday-a-short-film/

* Milo Manara - illustrator - http://www.milomanara.it/

- Human history - http://redaccion.lamula.pe/2013/10/27/la-historia-de-la-humanidad-por-milo-manara/danielavila/

* CNR Rao - Bharat Ratna, BS 16Nov13 -- http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/c-n-r-rao-the-man-pioneering-the-next-wave-of-nanoscience-113111601191_1.html

- Founder of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Rao has about 50 doctorates and 1,400 research papers (!)

- JNCASR - four major areas—advanced materials, molecular biology and genetics, evolutionary biology and engineering mechanics -- among the few research institutes to specialise in areas such as biology through nano-science. The institute is also working on a host of critical areas such as cancer, malaria, epilepsy, and HIV.

Reconsidering North Korea

Think North Korea and what are the images that come to your mind?

A 'hermit kingdom' full of goose-stepping soldiers, precision parades and ballistic missiles. Of anachronistic 'great leaders' who spend so much on their military that they have little left to feed their own people. Images of a generous and prosperous South Koreans trying hard to be nice - only to be thwarted by their petulant siblings across the 38th Parallel.

What if this picture is  incorrect? What if you turn around and realize that all this while you've been hearing just one side of the story?

An American author, Bruce Cumins, has been trying to do just that - presenting the other side of the story - through his book, "Korean War - A History".

Cumins starts by pointing out that Korea had most prerequisites for nationhood long before most other countries: common ethnicity, language and culture, and well recognized national boundaries since the tenth century. Over the last 1000 years it has also developed the Yangban - one of the world's most tenacious aristocracies, which had survived because it "fostered a scholar-official elite, a civil service, venerable statecraft, splendid works of art, and a national pastime of educating the young."

Trouble started with the Japanese warlord , Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion.  As a performance incentive to his soldiers he linked their rewards to the number of noses they severed and brought back home. Then, in a gesture that is touching, sensitive and callous at the same time, the Japanese erected lovely memorial mounds for this vast collection of chopped cartilage.

A few centuries later, the Japanese returned again. This time they stayed longer, and left in their wake a deep sense bitterness and suspicion that lasts to this day.

Cumins's narrative runs completely contrary to popular notions about North Korea. In this version, a new picture emerges of a proud people who stood up to bullies; Of leaders who gladly sent their men to help China in its fight against the combined strength of the European and Japanese imperialists.

If it were not for the tactical error of leaving Incheon undefended in the summer of 1950, North Korea could have easily routed the quislings who dominated the South Korean ruling elite. US intervention would have come to naught, and the history of neighboring countries like Vietnam too would have taken a completely different turn.

 Bruce Cumins's book, "Korean War - A History" reminds you that history, even if it is written by victors, needs to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Jewels & Pebbles: Public Sector Companies in India

In "The Idea of India", Sunil Khilnani notes that under Nehru’s rule:

"...the state was enlarged, its ambitions inflated, and it was transformed from a distant alien object to one that aspired to infiltrate the everyday lives of Indians, proclaiming itself responsible for everything they could desire: jobs, ration cards, educational places, security, cultural recognition."

Much of this infiltration has been accomplished by Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs, aka PSUs). As the first 'Five Year Plan' led to the next ones, the scale & scope of PSUs was steadily expanded. While there were only five central PSUs with a total investment of Rs. 2900 crore at the time of the First Five Year Plan, there were as many as 260 (excluding 7 Insurance Companies) with a total investment of Rs. 7, 29,228 crore,as on 31st March, 2012.

The point worth highlighting here is that these 260-odd PSU's include only those owned directly by the central government.

The ones that are doing well have been ranked into three categories:

1. Maharatnas ('great-jewels') - 7
2. Navaratnas ('nine-jewels')- actually there are 14 here!
3. Miniratnas-I & II ('small-jewels') - 70

In order to qualify as a minor jewel (Miniratna-II) a company has to be profitable for three consecutive years. Since this is the lowest bar, we can safely conclude that all other central PSUs (260-91=169) are loss-making companies.

Apart from the 260-odd central PSUs, each of the states have their own companies. Then there are also companies that have been floated indirectly by the government through its financial intermediaries.

If 65% of public enterprises owned by the government of India are sending taxpayers money down the drain, how much more is being wasted by the dud companies created by the state governments and public financial institutions?

Now that is something worth figuring out...

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LINKS & REFERENCES:

* MiniRatnas -- http://dpe.nic.in/publications/list_of_maharatna_navratna-and_miniratna
- EPIL - http://www.engineeringprojects.com/cm-msg.asp

* Early history of EIL -- http://www.scribd.com/doc/13345037/Early-History-of-EIL

* Parmatam Parkash Arya, B. B. Tandon (): "Economic Reforms in India: From First to Second Generation and Beyond" -- at Google Books

* Parliament debate on disinvestment -- http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/psearch/Result15.aspx?dbsl=1491

A Thin Slice of Life

Over the last one year, an international campaign to promote stem cell donation centered on one question - "Will we Save Nalini Ambady?"

The answer came in last week. Ambady, an India-born professor at Stanford University, could not be saved. After a year-long struggle, she succumbed to a form of blood cancer. Even though the campaign resulted in thousands of people registering themselves as potential donors, Ambady's own case was marred by a peculiar problem: each time a perfect match was found, the donor backed out.

Why do registered donors back out? Of what use are the latest advances in medical science & technology, of new online social networks if they cannot improve on the fine art of persuasion?

I never knew Ambady. My first introduction to her work came through Dilip D'Souza's column in the Mint (11 April 2013). He was part of a close-knit bunch of family friends & relatives who had launched an online campaign to save Ambady.

A few years ago, Ambady had become quite famous after Malcom Gladwell's 2005 bestseller, "Blink", quoted extensively from her work in Behavioral Psychology. President Bill Clinton had given her an award "for fundamental contributions to understanding accuracy of social judgments based on 'thin slices' of information”. Now her life depended on something similar.

The global campaign to find a donor was quite effective in reaching out to a vast audience. NaliniNeedsYou.com, and a Facebook site that had been seen by more than a million people and had received more than 3,500 "likes". The campaign team had also created a video that had 4,500 views in its first three days on YouTube.

Thousands of people suffer from Ambady’s ailment - acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Unlike numerous other forms of cancer, this one did have a cure. Over the years medical science had shifted AML from the realm of despair to that of established medical protocols leading to complete recoveries.

The technology involved was also fairly straightforward. Much like matching blood-types, the process started with match-making between patients and registered donors. Cotton swabs of inner-cheek cells were tested for ten characteristics of certain cells produced by the bone marrow called Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLAs). A 10/10 match was perfect while 6/10 ensured a fairly good chance of patient survival.

The doctors knew exactly what they would do as soon as they found a matching donor. They would stimulate the donors’ body to produce more Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) using a tried and tested drug called filgrastim. A few days later, when the new stem cells were in full flow, they would be filtered from the blood-stream by connecting the donor to an apherisis machine. In a few hours these precious cells would transferred to the body of the cancer patient, helping her body helping the body replace diseased cells and resume production of healthy blood.

USAs National Marrow Donor Program had over 10 million registered stem cell donors. However, Ambady's chances had taken a hit in December 2012 after six matching donors had refused to follow up. Now the focus had shifted to India. Since Ambady was from Kerala, the possibility of finding a matching donor was highest within her own community.

The India campaign through newspapers, FaceBook, Twitter and Youtube, managed to persuade a few thousand donors to register. A vast majority of them - including our own swabs - turned out to be HLA mismatches. Even amongst the donors who did match-up, a bland refusal to follow-up stood in the way like a brick wall. One adult Indian donor's excuse was that his parents had refused permission.

To be sure, 'donor ambivalence' is not a new phenomenon. A study published by the University of Pittsburgh showed that race and ethnicity did matter when it came to unrelated stem cell donations. About 40% of whites and 60% of nonwhites were no longer available for ‘whatever reason’ to donate when contacted for confirmatory testing by blood sample. 10-23% of donors are unavailable specifically because they choose to opt out due to personal reasons.

So in a world where everything seems possible through science, technology and social networking, this might be a reminder that our own little fears and insecurities are only getting accentuated. Donors may be happy to register themselves but often backtrack when they are called to help.

Nalini Ambady also symbolizes something more basic - that even if you are a citizen of the world, even with the most advanced technology available, your survival might depend on your own little gene pool. Ethnic group, tribe and caste may not be things that an urbane intellectual or a 'citizen of the world' likes to wear on his sleeve. But the stark fact is that it does matter.

Technology, Governance and the Phailin Cyclone

Cyclone Phailin (photo from DNA/AFP)

"Why should I leave my home?? What storm are you talking about? Can't you see the blue skies??"

Convincing a villager about impending disaster is not easy business. Even if you are armed with the latest satellite imagery.

On 29 Oct., 1999, when an super cyclone hit India's Eastern coastline, across Odisha, nearly 10,000 people died. The Indian Met Department (IMD) had issued warnings to the state government.Nobody took them seriously Warnings were not issued to the coastal villages. Blue skies suddenly turned grey, wind-speeds crossed 220 kmph and thousands of homes were blown away.

Nearly 14 years later, on 12 October, 2013 when a very severe cyclone hit the same coastline, IMD was able to provide a warning five days in advance. Within this limited period, the Odisha state government evacuated more than a million people inland. The skeptics who saw only the blue skies were coaxed, cajoled and then bullied to the cyclone shelters.

Once the storm died down, they had much to be thankful for. In all, the cyclone and floods affected around 12 million people in 16,487 villages. It damaged about 4,00,000 houses and 1,182 power transformers in 17 districts. Yet, only 44 people had died.

How did we pull it off this time?

First of all, IMD had got its act together. Since 1999, a number of new ISRO satellites had started scanning the region for danger signals. Sensors and transmitters had been placed all along the coastline.

Command and control systems too were altered. Instead of routing IMD's disaster alerts to regular government departments bogged down by routine administrative work, a new institutional mechanism was put in place. The National Disaster Management Authority emerged with its state-level counterparts - in this case the Odisha-DMA. To ensure that adequate manpower could be spared in emergencies, officers were deputed to the National Diaster Response Force and its state equivalent.

In 1999, the state government's tardy response had cost it the subsequent elections. This time the Chief Minister himself encouraged all his legislators, not only to join ODMA and other officials getting people evacuated, but also to ensure that food, drinking water and other supplies were reaching the evacuation centres.

It is certainly a real confidence booster to know that we can handle something of this magnitude. Now we need to roll up our sleeves and figure out why the monsoons flood our cities every year. Seriously.

The trick is to be prepared while the skies are still blue.

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LINKS & REFERENCES:

* Dash, Satya Prakash (2013): HOW ODISHA MNAGED THE PHAILIN DISASTER, EPW 2Nov13 -- http://www.epw.in/commentary/how-odisha-managed-phailin-disaster.html-0

* Bagla, Pallava (2013): A TINY STEP FOR A GIANT LEAP? The Hindu, 31Oct13 -- http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a-tiny-step-for-a-giant-leap/article5297789.ece?homepage=true

* Battle over Forecasts (NDTV, 14 Oct) -- http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/cyclone-phailin-india-meteorological-department-wins-battle-over-forecasts-431657

* WSJ - http://stream.wsj.com/story/latest-headlines/SS-2-63399/SS-2-352978/

* Washington Post (10 Oct) - POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CYCLONE PHAILIN HEADED FOR INDIA -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/10/10/potentially-catastrophic-cyclone-phailin-headed-for-india/

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NOTE:

The destructive power of cyclones in measured in its wind-speeds: Severe (90-199kmph), very severe (> 220 kmph) and super (220+ kmph).

The How of 'Schedule Y'

Last week the Supreme Court of India pulled the brakes on a thriving drug trial industry in India.

Valued at over $300 million a year this industry was engaged in a rather unusual business. Big pharmaceutical MNCs spending billions of dollars in the discovery of New Chemical Entities (NCEs) would conduct their first human-level trials in countries like India. If the new drugs turned out to be blockbusters, the chances of their being available to patients in India was next to zero.

Out of 475 global clinical trails conducted from 2005 to 2012 using Indian patients, only 17 patented drugs were freely available for the  participants. This is doubly significant because it was in 2005 that Indian pharma laws were amended to allow 'concurrent' testing of NCEs. With this removal of a phase-lag in the testing regime, drugs of  unproven safety and efficacy could be tested on patients in this country.

So it came as not surprise that on 3 Jan., 2013, the Supreme Court directed the Central Drug Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) to put in place a three-tier scrutiny of all clinical trails. Drugs & Cosmetics Rules already had a separate section - Schedule Y - setting the procedures for such trails but they were never really implemented.

Even after the SC directive, for the next 10 months neither CDSCO nor the health ministry did  to improve the safety of Indians participating in these trails. Taking note of this tardy response, on 21 October 2013, the court has ordered the government to stop all 'concurrent' clinical trails.

Even though this affects only 331 or 1122 trails (30%); and even though our gains from these trails were limited (no patent rights, no affordable drugs) it is interesting to see the MNC pharma lobby portraying this as a zero-sum game where 'India's loss is Bangladesh's gain'!

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LINKS & REFERENCES

* Mascarenhas, Anuradha (2013): DRUG TRAILS - LAX REGULATIONS COST THE COUNTRY DEAR, Indian Express, 25Oct13

* Jesani, Amar (2013): TRIED, TESTED AND FAILED, Indian Express 28Oct13

* Schedule Y -- http://cdsco.nic.in/html/D&C_Rules_Schedule_Y.pdf

Perception Giap

General Vo Nguyen Giap, one of the greatest military strategists and leaders of this century passed away yesterday. India was unmoved. What a shame!

Not one talking head in India's strategic community thought of paying a tribute to him. Where are our military historians who are all crawling out of the woodwork whenever anybody whispers 'Pakistan' or 'China'?

Indian newspapers merely reproduced the obituaries prepared by Western newswires. Times of India picked stuff from AP; the Hindu reprinted an obituary from the Guardian, UK, while the Indian Express lifted one from the New York Times. Surely we could do better than this...

By all accounts, Gen. Giap was as earthly, realistic and practical as any great leader would be. He was trained to be a teacher and a journalist, not a soldier. Yet he went to to lead his troops - both men and women - through some of the most brilliant military victories that liberated Vietnam, first from the French colonial army (Dien Bien Phu, 1953), and then from the relentless US quasi-colonial intervention that ended with their retreat from Saigon in 1975.

Yesterday, on our prime-time TV, retired army generals and other assorted hawks were blowing hot and cold over Pakistani 'infiltration' in the Keran sector of Jammu & Kashmir. Perhaps the TV anchors did not consider Gen. Giap's legacy worthy of a discussion. Or maybe the NDA-OTA-IMA types don't think much of a teacher who switched tracks to become a soldier.

Either way, if we don't study modern Asian history carefully, the loss is ours.

....................................................

Postscript: Finally, in today's IE, an economist has chipped in an op-ed on Gen. Giap. Small mercies.
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LINKS:

NYT - Gap Remembers (1990) -- http://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/24/magazine/giap-remembers.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
NYT -- http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/05/world/asia/gen-vo-nguyen-giap-dies.html?pagewanted=all

Hookway, James (2013): LEGENDARY VIETNAM GENERAL VO NGUYEN GIAP DIES, Wall Street Journal, 8 Oct., 2013, URL -- http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20131004-706371.html

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-10-04/rest-of-world/42716060_1_nguyen-giap-south-vietnam-dien-bien-phu

The HIndu -- http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/gen-giap-vietnam-war-hero-dies-at-102/article5201303.ece?textsize=small&test=2

Alagh, Yoginder K (2013): GENERAL VISION, Indian Express, 8Oct13 -- http://www.indianexpress.com/news/general-vision/1179603/

Fall, Bernard B (): HELL IS A VERY SMALL PLACE --
- Good Reads- http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/113486.Hell_In_A_Very_Small_Place
- Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Hell-In-Very-Small-Place/dp/030681157X

Tussar Silkworms

In early morning sunlight, a Tussar silkworm is an incredibly beautiful sight.

The surprising thing is that despite its large size, you are likely to miss it completely, until you notice that during the Autumn season, some trees have been stripped of all their leaves. 

Tussar silkworms come in shades of green that blend perfectly into the foliage of Arjuna trees (Terminalia arjuna). If the color does not fool you, it also has a'twig' color-band along its sides. And like one of those fancy trailer trucks on our highways, it has a string of orange 'lights' running the length of its body!

Do these 'lights' serve some purpose? I've been scouring the net for more information but nothing has turned up so far..

Tussar silk ("Kosa" in Sanskrit), alongside Eri and Muga, happen to be some of the earliest non-plant fibers adopted in India. Yet, it is surprising to see so little information available on Google Scholar about their origins either as traded goods, or in terms of entomological studies. 

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LINKS:

- Fiber Stories -- http://www.naturalfibres2009.org/en/stories/silk.html

- Tussar Silk -- http://www.utsavpedia.com/textiles/tussar-silk-the-story-of-wild-silk/

- http://www.copperwiki.org/index.php?title=Tussar_Silk

- Prasad, Mahesh (2011): INDIA'S FOREIGN TRADE - FROM ANTIQUITY TO DATE, Google books -- http://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=P2KyHFkBh9EC&oi=fnd&pg=PA7&dq=tussar+silk+history&ots=vyC6nfgeJ-&sig=Z44Gn6GuQZ-ORB2wezi_dTWAYfI#v=onepage&q&f=false

- Wardle, Thomas (1880): Wild Silks of India - Principally Tusser -- Google Books -- http://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=24kIAAAAQAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=tussar+silk+history&ots=6NVQ3DvL6V&sig=cB9NwpJ_P1nsZt1AX9N-RlWqnxk#v=onepage&q&f=false

- Kosa Silk -- http://www.utsavpedia.com/textiles/kosa-silk-the-heritage-of-chattisgarh/

* 10 most toxic caterpillars -- http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/nature/news-ten-creepy-and-colorful-caterpillar-hazardous-human-health?image=0