TECH TALK
Technology, Science, Innovation...
14 Aug 2009
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SHOTS OF HOPE: First Hepatitis C
vaccine on human trial (Bloomberg) |
C For Cure
Human trials of the first hepatitis C vaccine have begun at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Boston in July. Unlike hepatitis A and B, there is no vaccination yet for hepatitis C. It is a deadly virus against which we can do little except prevent infection. Currently, it infects about 170 million people globally. In many cases, the virus attacks the liver and causes liver failure.
The vaccine is what is called a monoclonal antibody, and is to be given just before and after a liver transplant. These antibodies can neutralise the virus circulating in the blood, thereby preventing re-infection after the transplant. Researchers hope the antibody can be combined with antiviral drugs in patients who are not candidates for transplant. The trial is conducted to judge the safety of the vaccine, and the first phase will conclude by the end of the year. Monoclonal antibodies are specific and not known to have serious side effects.
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| (Pic By Tribhuwan Sharma) |
LHC To Operate At Half Mast
The scientific community across the globe has reasons to cheer: the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s most powerful atom-smasher, will restart in November. But this time, it will run at only half its maximum energy. This mammoth $5.5-billion machine was started last September, but stopped after nine days of operation due to a breakdown. The fault was in its electrical connections. The European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN) that built the machine was considering to postpone the restart to fix the problem, but decided to operate it at half power. This supposedly will not test the electrical connections as much as it would have at full power. The connections between two superconducting magnets had melted earlier, but that has been fixed.
Even at half power, the ‘Big-Bang machine’ is expected to generate new discoveries. The collider was originally designed to operate at seven times the power of any other particle accelerator on the Earth. So, even half power is a significant advance over existing accelerators. Scientists are expected to increase the power gradually next year, when they gain experience with the machine. So wait and watch.
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The Large Hadron Collider to restart
in November (AP) |
Little Down Under
For many, India’s depleting groundwater sources make no news. But this piece is really a shocker: India is losing 54 cubic km of groundwater every year. That is more than five times the water the Bhakra Nangal can store. For the first time, satellite remote sensing of a 2,000 km stretch, from eastern Pakistan across northern India and into Bangladesh, has traced this alarming count. This picture comes from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission, launched in March 2002 as a joint effort by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the German Aerospace Centre.
GRACE comprises two satellites orbiting in tandem 220 km apart. It measures variations in gravity by using microwaves to measure the changing distance between the two spacecraft. GRACE measures changes in the gravity, which is mainly due to water moving on and under the surface, to trace the groundwater count.
(Businessworld Issue Dated 18-24 Aug 2009) |
Sensex rises 61 points in opening trade 
