AMN
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy today consulted several industrialists through video-conferencing. It was aimed at opening some of the industries as allowed by the Centre to function, by maintaining necessary safety protocols. The state had earlier extended the lockdown till May 3rd in the wake of the total infected cases mounting to 1629.
Meanwhile, researches are in full swing in some of the medical institutions in the country to find medicine and vaccine for the COVID-19 disease. It includes one in the state-run Medical University in Chennai.
The research currently on in the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University is based on ‘reverse vaccinology’ technique. Dr Sudha Seshayyan, It uses-informatics and computer modelling to study the Novel Corona virus and to identify all its proteins. Since the genome sequencing of the virus is already known, the work is made easier and the computer with the special software reveals the nature of all its proteins. Once the nature of the proteins are known, then the molecules that can block them can be developed after a series of experiments.
The Vice Chancellor said a ‘polypeptide molecule’ seemingly capable of blocking a crucial protein of the virus has been developed by the university and it has now applied for the next phase of the research. She said it has collaborated with the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in Chennai and an American research institution for the study.