Today's Headlines

India’s first cell therapy for cancer treatment

GS Paper - 3 (Biotechnology)

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has issued market authorisation to CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor-T) cell therapy, a breakthrough treatment for treating relapsed/refractory (r/r) B-cell lymphomas and leukaemia, paving the way for its commercial launch of indigenous NexCAR19 in the country. ImmunoACT – an IIT Bombay incubated company – developed the treatment.

More about the therapy

1. Both ImmunoACT and Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) collaborated to invent indigenous CAR-T Cell Therapy – a type of cancer immunotherapy treatment that uses immune cells called T cells that are genetically altered in a laboratory to enable them to locate and destroy cancer cells more effectively.
2. The therapy offers new hope for patients in India and resource-limited countries. With this, it has solidified India’s position among the elite group of nations with access to CAR-T therapy.
3. Abroad, the CAR-T cell therapy costs around ₹3-4 crore per patient. The NexCAR19 will be ₹30-40 lakh per patient, which is 1/10th of the cost abroad.
4. India sees 25,000 patients of B-Cell lymphomas every year, the therapy would be available in around 20 government and private hospitals across most major cities.

Understanding CAR-T Cell Therapy

1. CAR-T cell therapy involves engineering a patient’s own immune cells in a laboratory to combat cancer.
2. While it has demonstrated substantial effectiveness, particularly in blood cancers and lymphomas, ongoing research seeks to determine its role in treating solid tumours and autoimmune diseases such as lupus and multiple sclerosis.
3. Currently, this therapy is offered as a second-line treatment for late-stage leukaemia and lymphoma when patients do not respond to conventional treatments like chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants or experience relapsed cancer.

Two green initiatives notified ahead of COP28

GS Paper - 3 (Environment)

Ahead of the UN Climate Summit, or COP 28, set to be held in Dubai in November-December this year, the Union government has notified two initiatives—a green credit programme focusing on afforestation and water conservation and an ecomark scheme to promote “eco-friendly” products. These initiatives will take ahead Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lifestyle for Environment, or LiFE, movement announced in 2021, the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) said.

More about the Initiative

1. The two initiatives “indicate the country’s pro-active approach to climate change, sustainability and promotion eco-conscious practices”.
2. These initiatives, the Green Credit Program (GCP) and the Ecomark Scheme, seek to encourage environmentally friendly practices rooted in tradition and conservation; reflecting the ideas of LiFE concept.

More about GCP

1. The GCP is a market-based mechanism designed to incentivise voluntary environmental actions across diverse sectors, by individuals, communities, private sector industries, and companies.
2. Its governance framework is supported by an inter-ministerial steering committee and the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) will monitor the overall implementation.
3. In its initial phase, GCP will focus on water conservation and afforestation, the Green Credit Registry and trading platform is being developed by ICFRE to facilitate the registration and the buying and selling of green credits.
4. The ministry has also recast its ecomark notification so that consumers are able to make choices among products and thereby opt for those products that are eco-friendly in their design and process.
5. The GCP notification comes months after the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Act came into effect after it received the President’s assent on 4 August, days after parliament passed the corresponding amendment bill. The amendment removes “deemed forests” from the purview of the law.

More about Ecomark Scheme

1. The Ecomark Scheme, notified on 13 October 2023, replaces the previous notification (issued on 21 February 1991).
2. It provides accreditation and labelling for household and consumer products that meet specific environmental criteria while maintaining quality standards as per Indian norms.
3. Products accredited under the Ecomark Scheme will adhere to specific environmental criteria, ensuring minimal environmental impact.

Psyche metal asteroid mission

GS Paper - 3 (Space Technology)

NASA launched a spacecraft from Florida on its way to Psyche, the largest of the several metal-rich asteroids known in our solar system and a body thought to be the remnant core of an ancient protoplanet. The Psyche probe, folded inside the cargo bay of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, blasted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral on a planned journey 2.2 billion miles (3.5 billion km) through space. The spacecraft, roughly the size of a small van, is due to reach the asteroid in August 2029.

What is Nasa's Psyche mission?

1. Psyche refers to both an asteroid and a Nasa mission. The asteroid Psyche is a distinctive, metal-rich celestial body situated in the space between Mars and Jupiter, measuring approximately 173 miles (279 kilometers) in width. Scientists believe it may be the exposed core of an early planet that never reached full formation.
2. The Psyche mission is an ambitious journey aimed at exploring this asteroid and unraveling the mysteries surrounding its origin, structure, composition, and magnetic field.

How long will it take for the Psyche spacecraft to reach the asteroid?

1. The Psyche spacecraft is expected to take approximately six years to reach the asteroid Psyche.
2. In 2025, it will make a flyby of Mars to utilize a gravity assist, which will enhance its velocity and alter its trajectory.
3. Additionally, it will execute various deep-space maneuvers to fine-tune its course and conserve fuel.
4. The spacecraft is projected to reach the asteroid in 2029, where it will go into orbit around Psyche for a duration of 26 months.

What are the scientific goals and objectives of the Psyche mission?

1. The Psyche mission has four principal scientific objectives:
2. Gain insights into an unexplored component of planet formation, the iron cores.
3. Peer into the innermost regions of terrestrial planets, including Earth, by directly studying the interior of a differentiated body, a feat that has previously been impossible.
4. Investigate a unique celestial body, as Psyche is not composed of rock and ice like other worlds, but rather, it's made of metal.
5. Ascertain whether Psyche is indeed a core or if it consists of unmelted material.

What are the scientific instruments onboard?

1. The Psyche spacecraft is outfitted with three scientific instruments and a gravity science investigation, all geared towards fulfilling its scientific objectives:
2. A multispectral imager designed to capture high-resolution images of the asteroid's surface features, composition, and texture.
3. A gamma ray and neutron spectrometer for measuring the elemental abundances of the asteroid's surface and subsurface layers.
4. A magnetometer tasked with measuring any potential magnetic field of the asteroid.
5. A gravity science investigation that employs radio signals to determine the asteroid's mass and shape.