Page 14 - Annual report 2021-22

Annual Report 2021-22 |

anchoring) are being explored. Chitin-Prussian blue based nanoparticle coupled with photothermal
activation is being developed as a potential therapeutic for drug-resistant dermatophytes. Treatment
strategies for tuberculosis using inhibition of triglyceride synthesis or anti-depressant sertraline in
combination with the existing first line of tuberculosis drugs are being explored in parallel. Synthetic
cryopreservative agents, which can prevent injury due to extreme cold are being investigated.
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CRISPR-Cas is one of the tools for gene-targeting and editing that is being manipulated and employed
around the world to make therapy for monogenetic diseases and aid basic science research. In this
direction, CriSNPr (CRISPR-based SNP recognition), a web server and database for the CRISPR-Cas
system has been released. Engineering of Cas9 derived from Francisella novicida and development of
various non-viral vectors for delivery of CRISPR-Cas - biodegradable polymers and ionic liquids- is
ongoing at the institute. With these tools in place, initiation of preclinical studies for CRISPR-Cas-based
clinical trials for curing sickle cell disease is underway.

It is basic sciences that lay the foundation for translational research and some of the findings from last
year touch upon neurodevelopment, type II diabetes, skin biology, and structural biology of proteins
and RNA. Some interesting findings that came to light using a combination of animal models and
cellular models manipulated and observed with tools and techniques of cellular biology, molecular
biology, and biophysics are described next.

The neuronal degeneration in type II diabetes can help understand the same in Alzheimer’s disease.
A dysregulated kinase, Cdk5 that activates the unfolded protein response via IRE1-JNK signaling seems
to be the common pathway. Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disease that is
manifested with varied symptoms among different individuals. It now appears that defects in neural
crest cells can explain this effect in a category of Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome cases that are caused by
KAT3 mutations. Melanocytes, the cells responsible for skin tone, have now been shown to possess a
novel function in wound healing.

During the pandemic, COVID-19 continued to be one of the major focus areas at the institute. Besides
genomic surveillance that has been conducted regularly at the institute to track the emergence of
SARS-CoV2 variants, a micro lab at the Delhi airport for the same has been set up. A k-mer based
surveillance method for COVID-19 has also been developed. Additionally, the efficacy of COVID-19
vaccines via serosurvey, which was conducted across the pan India network of CSIR labs, has also been
evaluated at the institute. Herbal extracts were repurposed and a clinical trial for COVID-19 was
initiated to assess their effect in reducing the disease severity.

In addition to the ongoing research activities, CSIR-IGIB has been active in varied science outreach,
training, and policy formulation activities. Under the Lancet-Financial Time Commission, ‘Growing up
in a digital world: Governing health futures 2030’, efforts striving towards improving the health and
well-being of especially children and youth have been initiated. Hands-on training workshops on the
application of AI to biological data analysis, extraction of genes from literature using pubmedmineR,
Ayurgenomics - Prakriti methods and its scientific basis, data mining from literature for molecules and
agents to tackle AMR (in collaboration with Prof. Kunal Roy under AICTE QIP STC-1 program) and
literature to pathways, gene-gene interactions networks (in collaboration with CSIR-IMTECH) were
conducted. As part of the CSIR-Jigyasa program, which aims to connect students with scientists, a new