COVID19: Opportunities For Science

1. COVID19: Opportunities For
Science
Asheesh Kumar Mishra
Department of Microbiology
Dr. Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation
University Lucknow

2. Table of contents
1. COVID-19: Factsheet
2. Why not to worry..?
3. COVID19: Global Pandemic
4. Coronavirus disease
5. Opportunities to the students
6. Opportunities to Medical Science & Healthcare
7. Opportunities for Researchers and Scientists

3. COVID-19: Factsheet
Virus & Disease
• Novel severe acute respiratory
syndrome Corona virus2 (SARS
CoV2) cause covid19 disease.
• First case- Pneumonia in Wuhan ,
China, in late December 2019.
• Spread through bats but is now
spreading between human.
Transmission and Spread
• Touch, talk, cough, sneeze
• Through respiratory droplets
through mucosae and conjunctiva
• Transmission through fomites
• Incubation period 01-14 days.
Disease Symptoms
• Fever
• Sore throat
• Cough
• Shortening of breathing
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Loss of smell and taste.
Global Burden

4. Why not to worry..?
Disease onset and its progression is known.
Many countries are already in the decline phase of COVID19.
About 80% cases show very normal and mild symptoms.
Recovery rate is very high (approaching 50% in India).
Children demonstrate very mild symptoms.
Personal hygiene, social distancing and easy surface disinfection possible.
Available treatments show very effective response.
More importantly ….
Science is on it and peace is encouraging

5. COVID19: Global Pandemic
 First case: Hubei province, Wuhan China.
 SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2).
 Patient zero; A female shrimp seller of China.(Suspected)

6. Coronavirus disease
COVID19 or coronavirus disease is a
global pandemic that affects the
world in various aspects.
No doubt SARS Cov2 shuts the
various fields of the global economy
but besides these, on the basis of
‘Every problem contains a gift’ it also
opens a door for the researcher and
various other science students!!
There are also some benefits to the
environment, wildlife and many other
aspects of globe.

7. Opportunities to the students
During this pandemic students are also affected equally
as others.
In this lockdown I experienced and see that all the E-
platforms of learning are available to access from any
region of the world.
Many foreign and Indian Universities launched many free
and paid certification courses for students of all stream
of science.
Besides these students have opportunity to think and
do and some extraordinary things in their field. Such as
you have opportunity to think about this global scenario
and to work as a short step to community and world.

8. Opportunities to Medical Science & Healthcare
In the stream of medical sciences this
outbreak (COVID19) create a vast range of
opportunities such development of drugs
for treatment of COVID19 as short time
benefits.
Many other medical equipment
manufacturing companies have a great
opportunities to focus on remote patients
engagement plan, to reaffirm and reassess
the value of “telemedicine” etc.
In recent years it is seen that telemedicine
becomes a new standard of care and to
assess populations of patients..

9. Opportunities for Medical Science
In India we see the lack of awareness for hospital treatment and testing, people
don’t go there until the visibility of complete symptoms, so this is also provide an
opportunity to the development of a rapid, reliable and cheap testing kits .
In post COVID phase there would be scars of virtual assistants, virtual rehabilitation,
chatbots etc. in healthcare field so the it is great opportunity towards medical
science to take responsibility to manage all the scenario in future.

10. OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEARCHERS
AND SCIENTISTS

11. Impact on life science R&D
COVID19 severely disturbed the research
and MedTech companies but just
opposite to this the pandemic also
creates a wide range of possibilities for
the field of research.
The possibilities of treatment and
eradication of SARS CoV2 is depends
upon only on life science researchers.
Life scientists have a great opportunity
to study more about various possible
antiviral drugs, immunomodulators and
many other factors for treatment of
COVID19.

12. Cont..
Major opportunities for life scientists are as follows:
More study about SARS CoV2
As we know there are so many facts are unrevealed and, many more to
study about the mode of transmission of virus, survival of virus, and much more to
reveal.
 Study about the possible target site of the virus for the treatment
According to various studies the genetic molecule of novel coronavirus
is RNA and the replicating enzyme is the RNA polymerase so there are many
possibilities about the mutation of the virus because of less proofreading activity
of RNA pol. This also allow to researchers for the more study and to know the
target region of drugs to treat COVID19.
 Opportunities for study in immunopathology
COVID19 outbreak also opens the door of the various studies in the field
of immunology such as immune responses against novel crorna virus I think that
will clear the route for use of various immunomodulators, INFß and other antiviral
drugs for the cure of disease.

13. Cont..
 Study about the viral neutralizing factors
There are various possibilities to control spreading of viral infection
through neutralizing factors such as plasma from recovered patients, serine
inhibitors that blocks TMPRSS2, inhibition of acidification of endosome thus
prevent viral replication etc.
 Study about vaccine development
The most awaiting thing for cure of covid19 is vaccine of SARS COV2 but
unfortunately no any vaccine is effective for cure. Most of the vaccine gets
failed in third trail phase but researchers can took epitope of Corona virus 2
and study more about its structure and compatibility for vaccine development.
Monoclonal antibodies might be effective as a
vaccine but due to high antigenic variability this might be ineffective
sometimes.

14. Summary
Overall, it is concluded that a virus just shut down the entire world bit besides the
problems it also provides many opportunities for skill development and
Environmental betterment that definitely help in life on earth.
COVID19 outbreak and lockdown also provides vast opportunities for nearly all
streams of science including healthcare, chemistry, immunopathology etc..
Lockdown opens the opportunities for the student to access various e-learning
platforms and interactions with various researchers and scientists that helps them a
lot.
The problem of development of proper medicine and vaccine for SARS CoV2 is still a
challenge that provide a huge opportunities for life scientists.

15. Lets progress Science to lead to a life without disease
Thank You
Asheesh Kumar Mishra
M.sc. Microbiology
DSMNR University, Lucknow
E.mail: mshraasheesh48@gmail.com,
Contact no. 7985004862