Biotechnology leading the fight against COVID-19

Beginning from December’19, the world has heard enough about Coronavirus and suffered  its manifestations one after the other and the havoc does not seem to stop even now. Ever  since the rise of COVID-19 cases all over the world, the healthcare sector has been striving  very hard to stop the spread of virus along with devising new tools and techniques to  counteract the grave consequences. Major agendas have been shifted completely giving all  the attention to this deadly virus. Lead by healthcare workers, task forces, government  workers and social workers are putting their efforts day and night to conquer this situation.  

In the initial phase of this pandemic, when people started to develop certain symptoms and  those symptoms were becoming severe over the course of time, it was contemplated that  this new disease is caused by a microorganism, is contagious and spreads at a very fast  pace. Given the advanced level of medical diagnostics which has been possible because of all  the research and development in the field of biotechnology, scientists very quickly  concluded the structure and physiology of this virus. This uncovering of facts and figures  helped in diagnosis of virus, opened possibilities for treatment and prevention of spread. 

Starting with the majorly reliable diagnostic tool; RT-PCR, to all the advanced medical  equipment, medicines, life-saving drugs and obviously the most talked about vaccines, all  rely on the basics of biotechnology. Biotechnology has enabled us to look into deep causes of  problems at a microscopic level and solve them accordingly. The small a sound procedures  and techniques have helped us to understand functioning of cells, organs and human body  as a whole to an extent that we now have access to literally even the smallest corners of  cells and we can modify their functioning even at genetic level. This level of understanding  of organisms is not only helpful but also enables us to literally change the way they function. 

Because of the understanding of anatomy and physiology along with the recombinant  biotechnology, scientists all over the world are able to produce organisms as per their  choice of characters and functions. Highly reliable and accurate biotechnological tools are  now being used to deduce the structure and function of organisms at a very fast speed and  the advancements are being continuously made to further increase the efficacy. So, it won’t  be wrong to enunciate that biotechnology is the solution to new-age problems in the healthcare  sector and continues to lead the world to a medically-efficient and safe future. 

Apart from the treatment aspect which obviously articulates a lot about the role of  biotechnology in this pandemic, this fascinating and promising branch of biology has  definitely aided in the prevention of viruses to a great extent. India is a densely populated country,  which makes the management at the time of crisis; a herculean task. The immense crowd,  poor hygiene practices, lack of awareness, illiteracy etc. make it fiendish to implement  general protocols that are vital to prevention. Biotechnology through its very basic  principles and methodologies have enabled everyone to have access to basic necessities during this pandemic. 

Sanitization being necessary, was procured by use of chemicals and  medicinal extracts, keeping in mind the cost and sustainability. Various biotechnologists, in  spite of being at moderate level were able to innovate affordable medical commodities for  example: PPE kits, ventilators, masks and shields which undeniably have helped in coping  with the atrocious problem of contagious spread of virus among communities. Biotechnology  continues to lead in this grave situation with numerous innovations that are made with each  passing day and are enabling people to have more chances of survival. 

It is speculated that Coronavirus can dwell around us for a longer period of time and will  keep affecting the lives of people but biotechnology with its promising and sustainable  solutions is here to stay and fight this pandemic efficiently. Every little effort made by  common people combined with efforts of biotechnologists all over the world is proving to  help and let the world flourish even during these baffling times. Biotechnology at its root  aims to provide affordable and sustainable solutions pertaining to the medical and healthcare  sector and discoveries and innovations will definitely lead the world out of this pandemic  and allow everyone to breathe in a COVID free environment.

Author: Vaishali

College: Dr. B. Lal Institute of Biotechnology

Course: M.Sc. Biotechnology Semester-III