Karnataka Records – Page 12

INTERNATIONAL / NATIONAL / KARNATAKA: TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OF MEDICAL RESEARCH: Sepsis Treatment SUR-101 Developed by Researchers in Bengaluru and Bhubaneswar licensed to Dutch Biotech firm SurvivX

The development of the treatment was announced by C-CAMP director Dr Taslimarif Saiyed at an event with Netherlands PM Mark Rutte last month.

A novel sepsis treatment, called SUR-101, developed collaboratively by the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), Bengaluru, and the Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, was licensed to Dutch biotech firm SurvivX in the presence of Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Thursday.

The development of the technology, presently at the preclinical stage, was announced by Dr Taslimarif Saiyed, director-CEO of C-CAMP, at an event with Rutte on the latter’s visit to Bengaluru on the sidelines of the G20 summit last month.

Sepsis is a life-threatening medical emergency. It happens when an infection that a patient already has triggers a chain reaction throughout the body. According to C-CAMP, existing interventions for sepsis are found to be effective only at the very early onset of sepsis. By modulating the immune response, the current technology allows a longer time window for administering targeted interventions for sepsis.

“Sepsis is a worldwide challenge, with approximately 50 million cases and 11 million sepsis-related deaths worldwide, accounting for 20 per cent of all global deaths. The new compound, called SUR-101, is an immune-stimulating therapeutic in sepsis patients with signs of immune suppression. It could be the first step towards personalization and precision in sepsis medicine that has thus far been treated as a drug discovery problem. The technology presently at the preclinical stage is a discovery by a team of scientists led by Prof Ravindran Balachandran from ILS. It has been translated and co-developed by the translational research group of Dr Saiyed at C-CAMP,” said a media release from the Bengaluru centre, which is an initiative of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science, Technology and Earth Sciences.

Speaking on the licensing effort, the Dutch ambassador to India, Marisa Gerards, said, “Life sciences & health remains a priority sector for the bilateral cooperation between the Netherlands and India. We have successfully been working in this field for many years, and this new partnership is a great example of what India and the Netherlands can do together. Sepsis is an important global societal challenge, and it is in need of innovative solutions.”

“This is one of the first global technology transfers by C-CAMP of an academic invention developed exclusively in India. We are excited about the partnership with SurvivX, a biotech company in the Netherlands, in the antimicrobial resistance domain. This agreement will be a model in innovation-focused bilateral partnerships that addresses global issues together,” Dr Saiyed said.

SurvivX CEO Remko van Leeuwen said, “Our technology is based on a specific protein excreted by a tropical parasite: the filarial roundworm. The team in India made the remarkable observation that people infected by this parasite typically do not end up at an ICU unit when they develop sepsis. They started studies to find the cause of this protective effect that an infection with this worm seems to have.”

According to Leeuwen, the researchers discovered that a specific protein secreted by the worm was responsible for the effect. “We have already shown that the protein leads to a much better survival of mice with sepsis, confirming the protective effect seen in filaria patients. But mice are not human, Thus, SurvivX needs to show the safety and activity of the protein in humans before it can be tested as a novel therapeutic approach,” he added.

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGH: C-CAMP announces Centre of Excellence in Antimicrobial Resistance Innovation with SBI Foundation

According to C-CAMP, AMR has been identified by World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the top ten global health threats claiming 7,00,000 lives per year globally with a projected fatality rate of 10 million per year by 2050.

The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), a biotech research and innovation hub in Bengaluru, Friday announced the establishment of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) innovations with SBI Foundation, a CSR subsidiary of the State of India.

This project is aimed at addressing global health threats by providing a structured platform for support systems that include funding and frameworks to advance the development, translation and scale-up of indigenous deep science entrepreneurships in the AMR domain.

“While India is one of the leading nations from the Global South in research towards AMR mitigation, deep science entrepreneurial efforts to deliver these emerging solutions from bench to bedside have shown a serious lacuna. This unaddressed gap is now the focus of a new partnership between C-CAMP and SBI Foundation. The project will establish a CoE in AMR innovation by providing a structured platform for support systems and frameworks to advance the development, translation and scale-up of indigenous deep science entrepreneurships in the AMR domain,” C-CAMP said in a release.

Prof Ajay Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, said, “The AMR poses a grave challenge to public health systems across the world and is a WHO priority. Paradoxically, AMR is one of the least funded domains in biotechnology due to its skewed market economics. Funding and handholding support for this deep science sector by the C-CAMP-SBIF CoE will be a tremendous boost for AMR innovation development.”

C-CAMP Director-CEO Dr Taslimarif Saiyed said, “We are excited to ring in our latest partnership with SBI Foundation. This is a crucial PPP collaboration through which we will address AMR by supporting ventures that develop and commercialise scientific breakthroughs and innovations for on-field impact. As the latest ICMR study on AMR showed, last-resort antibiotics like carbapenems are beginning to fail in hospital-acquired infections in ICUs with signs of locally resistant strains emerging. This implies a dire need for indigenous solutions tailored for Indian conditions which this CoE will help identify and support.”

Sanjay Prakash, Managing Director, SBI Foundation, said he is confident that the CoE for AMR Innovation will be the cornerstone in identifying, funding and nurturing startups leading the AMR Innovations.

The CoE will be under the aegis of the global India AMR Innovation hub (IAIH) also anchored by C-CAMP and chaired by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser. The focus of the CoE will be on identifying and supporting through funding and other means, a 360 degree portfolio of cutting-edge deep-science solutions, across AMR and the larger One Health domain spanning Food and Agriculture, Environment and Healthcare.

The CoE plans to kick off its operations by identifying and nurturing up to 12 innovations in the next two years.

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: ARTS & CRAFTS / FASHION: Namratha Manjunath Wins ‘Miss Mysuru 2023’ Crown and First Runner-Up Bhavana Narayan

Inner Wheel Club of Mysuru Aisiri with Nandini Nagaraj Pageant Initiative and RK Universe Coorg had hosted ‘Miss Mysuru 2023’ event recently at The Viceroy Comforts in Mysuru.

‘Miss Mysuru 2023’ winner Namratha Manjunath , a medical student, first runner-up Bhavana Narayan and second runner-up Harshitha, are seen with the jury members Dr. Hemamalini Lakshman (Mrs. India Universe 2018), Prathiba, K. Kavya and Sowhardini.

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

WORLD / NATIONAL/ KARNATAKA: WORLD RECORD SPORTS : Sibling Sisters, 10-year old Ovee Malve and Ruchi Malve from Bengaluru become World’s Youngest Certified Scuba Diver Sisters

Their interest in scuba diving stemmed from those videos and they started swimming and later training for scuba diving.

A day after turning 10, Bengaluru-based Ovee Malve set a world record of becoming the youngest certified scuba diver.

With this, both Ovee and her sister Ruchi, daughters of Bangalore Mountaineering Club founder Neeraj Malve, have become the youngest certified scuba diver siblings in the world. Neeraj himself has been a scuba diver for 16 years now. Ovee achieved the feat in Puducherry at 7.18 am on October 11, becoming the youngest Professional Association of Diving Instructors-certified open water diver.

Elated and proud, Neeraj said he understands that adventure sports are not easy, especially at a young age. He never pressured his children and ensured that they underwent proper training. The daughters were water babies since they were little and were fascinated with his scuba diving videos.

Their interest in scuba diving stemmed from those videos and they started swimming and later training for scuba diving, he said. Ovee enrolled for a junior open water diver course at Temple Adventures, Puducherry and trained under coach Shreya Mehta.

Her sister Ruchi (14) trained under Shaurya Tarni of Dive Goa in Goa. Ruchi enrolled for the Junior Open Water Diver certification course on October 27, 2022 and received the Scuba Schools International certificate on October 30, 2022. At the age of 10 and 13, both Malve sisters have become the world’s youngest scuba diver sisters.

Previously, a Mumbai-based boy, Dwit Nandu, at age 10 set the world record around 8 am on August 25, 2023.

Both the sisters underwent two-day rigorous training which included a 200-metre nonstop swimming and floating for 10 minutes without any support.

They studied five chapters of theory about performing underwater skills in confined waters, passed a written exam and successfully performed four dives in open water up to 18-metre depth to earn their open water diver certification.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: Udyamashree Award Conferred on Expert Institution’s Prof Narendra Nayak

Saraswath Chambers, Vishwa Konkani Kendra, UK & Company has awarded Udyamashree award to president of Expert group of institutes Professor Narendra L Nayak.

The award was presented at Bengaluru’s Clerk Exotica Convention resort during the joint convention of Saraswath and Konkani entrepreneurs considering his substantial contribution to the education sector of starting and raising an institute.

Dr Usha Prabha N Nayak, vice president of the institute was also felicitated during the event.

Chief convener of the convention and founder of UK & Company K Ullas Kamath, Vishwa Konkani Kendra president Nandagopala Shenoy, Saraswat Chamber founder director Siddarth Sineker and Vatika Pai were present.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: RESEARCH / NANOENZYMES: Scientists of Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Develop Enzyme Mimetic with potential applications in Wastewater Treatment, Healthcare

The nanozyme can degrade pollutants in wastewater by oxidising them in the presence of sunlight, thereby reducing the toxicity of wastewater.

Scientists at the Materials Research Centre (MRC), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), have developed a new type of enzyme mimetic that can degrade toxic chemicals in industrial wastewater effectively in the presence of sunlight.

Enzymes are proteins that catalyse a majority of biological reactions in living systems. However, the practical use of natural enzymes is hindered by inherent limitations such as sensitivity to denaturation (breakdown/damage), complex production procedures, high costs, and difficulties in recycling, says Subinoy Rana, Assistant Professor at MRC and corresponding author of the paper published in Nanoscale.

Mass producing these enzymes is an expensive and time-consuming process. Another problem is storage – most of the natural enzymes are temperature-sensitive and require storage at cooler temperatures, often as low as -20°C.

Nano-sized enzyme mimetics or “nanozymes” manufactured in the lab can mimic such natural enzymes and overcome these practical challenges.

In the current study, the IISc team synthesised a platinum-containing nanozyme called NanoPtA, which can be converted into powder form for industrial use.

When the NanoPtA comes in contact with wastewater, the benzene rings and long alkyl chains present in the molecule form multiple non-covalent interactions. Individual NanoPtA molecules connect together to form tape-like structures that start emitting light, which is the origin of its oxidising capacity. The nanozyme can then degrade pollutants present in wastewater by oxidising them in the presence of sunlight, thereby reducing the toxicity of wastewater.

The team found that the nanozyme could degrade even small (micromolar) quantities of common effluents like phenols and dyes within ten minutes when placed under sunlight. The researchers also found that the NanoPtA complex was quite stable, lasting for up to 75 days at room temperature.

The team believes that the nanozyme can also have applications in healthcare and could be a potentially useful diagnostic tool for neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: SPORTS / GOLF: Kavery Muthanna Represents India As A Golf Official At Asian Games

Mukkatira Kavery Muthanna, a resident of Mysuru, is currently serving as a member of the officiating team in the game of golf at the ongoing 19th Asian Games, which are taking place in Hangzhou, China.

She holds a role in the Technical Rules Official team, which consists of 24 referees from various countries. The official rounds are scheduled to take place from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 at the West Lake Golf Course in Hangzhou, featuring 121 players.

Kavery Muthanna is well-qualified, having completed the Level 3 Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar (TARS) under the R&A. (R&A is a leading body within the world of golf and engages and supports activities to ensure it is a thriving sport for all on a global scale.)

She has actively officiated various amateur and women’s professional golf tournaments in India, showcasing her expertise in the field. Her experience also extends to her role as a Rules Official at the 36th National Games in 2022, held in Ahmedabad.

In addition to her involvement in golf and sports officiating, Kavery Muthanna is part of the Kavery Education Trust in Virajpet and serves as its Chairperson. She is married to Mukkatira Manju Muthanna and is the daughter of Guddanda Kanthy and Nanda Ganapathy.

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: SPORTS :Asian Games 2023: Karnataka’s Aditi Ashok Wins Historic Silver In Golf For India

Indian shooters clinch gold and silver

Karnataka’s Golf star Aditi Ashok today bagged a historic Silver medal for India at the Asian Games 2023 after missing the Gold medal in Hangzhou.

Aditi finished the four-round event with a score of 17 under 271 to take the second prize. Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol leapfrogged the Indian to take the Gold medal home.

Aditi was in the Gold medal contention on the final day of the contest as she had a 22-under score after three rounds. She was seven shots clear of Yubol but had a poor day with 5 over on the final day. However, Aditi Ashok is the first Indian woman to win a medal in golf at the Asiad.

Indian shooters won two medals, clinching gold and silver in men’s and women’s trap events. The Indian men’s team comprising of Kynan Chenai, Zoravar Singh Sandhu and Prithviraj Tondaiman has claimed gold in the Trap event on Sunday, October 1 to continue India’s fantastic run in shooting so far in the Asian Games 2023.

India were able to fend off competition from Kuwait and China to secure the top spot on the podium to take the tally in shooting to 21 medals with 7 gold, 9 silver and 5 bronze. In addition to the gold medal win Chenai and Sandhu have also qualified for the individual final as well.

The Indian trio secured 361 points in total as compared to Kuwait’s 352 and China’s 346.

Earlier in the day, India had won the silver medal in the women’s trap team event in shooting. The trio of Rajeshwari Kumari, Manisha Keer and Preeti Rajak finished second with 337 points, behind China.

So far (till 1.30 pm on Oct. 1), India stands 4th in the medal tally with 41 medals including 11 gold, 16 silver and 14 bronze.

Yesterday (Sept. 30), Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale won gold in the Mixed Doubles after winning the third set tie-breaker against Chinese Taipei to secure India’s second medal in tennis after Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni’s silver in Men’s Doubles.

The Indian men’s team beat Pakistan men’s squash team event to give India its 10th gold in this Asian Games.

Sarabjot Singh and Divya Thadigol topped the qualification in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team but settled for a silver in the final, going down 14-16 to China.

In the men’s 10000m, Kartik Kumar and Gulveer Singh won silver and bronze, respectively.

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL & KARNATAKA: SPORTS / CRICKET: Siddaramaiah felicitates Gold Medal-Winning Indian Blind Women’s Cricket Team

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah felicitated the members of the Indian blind women’s cricket team and the blind men’s cricket team from Karnataka at the Home Office Krishna on Friday.

The Indian blindwomen’s cricket team won the gold medal, and the blind men’s cricket team won silver medal in the IBSA World Cricket Tournament (Cricket for Bind) .

The Chief Minister felicitated the captain of the Indian blind women’s cricket team Varsha.U and team players, Deepika, Gangavva, and Prakash J, Sunil Kumar, Basappa Voddgol of the men’s team from Karnataka.

The visually challenged Indian women’s cricket team in August scripted history by winning a gold medal beatingAustraliaby nine wickets at the IBSA World Games.

The team of medal winning players led by Govinda Raju, the president of the Karnataka State Olympic Organisation and political secretary to the Chief Minister, met the Chief Minister and presented their demands.

The Chief Minister responded positively and assured tohold a separate discussion with Govindaraju and to takeappropriate decisions to fulfill their demands.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah interacted with the players and asked them interesting questions about the training the players get, how they recognize a ball, how many matches have they played, etc..

The Chief Minister’s Political Adviser Naseer Ahmed, Life President of Cricket Association for Blind India Mahantesh, CABI President Boosagowda and representatives of Samarthanam Trust were also present.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: ARTS & CRAFTS / HANDLOOM: Meet 97-year-old Freedom Fighter Turned Handloom Hero of Kodekal Village Sangappa Mante

From padayatra to trekking, freedom fighter Sangappa Mante from Kodekal village is trying everything to revive the industry.

At the ripe age of 97, Sangappa Mante is on a mission: to save the handloom industry. For more than two decades, the warhorse from Kodekal village of Hunasagi taluk (Yadgir district) has been fighting to protect traditional handloom weaving. He took up a padayatra twice in the past decade, and three years ago, trekked 300km from Kodekal to Kottur in Davanagere district.

Mante, whose family continues traditional handloom weaving, has joined hands with Charaka Movement founder Prasunna, well-known theatre artist-director and activist. Mante has always been a restless soul, having fought for the liberation of erstwhile Hyderabad state from the then Nizam, who had declined to merge with an independent India on August 15, 1947.

Hyderabad state, comprising 17 districts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, along with Bidar, Kalaburagi and Raichur districts, were part of the erstwhile kingdom and continued to be part of the Nizam’s kingdom after 1947.

In the heady days following Independence, Sardar Veerupakshappa Gowda of Rajankollur village near Kodekal, was a leading figure in the fight against the Nizam’s army (razakars) to liberate erstwhile Hyderabad state. Gowda was soon killed.

Sangappa Mante, Gowda’s close associate, adopted the Gandhian style of resistance against the Nizam, walking around Kodekal village in khadi attire and carrying the national flag to raise awareness on the happenings in the country. His aim was to ignite a sense of patriotism among the villagers.

He and his friends would shelter activists of liberation movement and place hurdles on the road to prevent the razakars from entering Kodekal village.

The Nizam government arrested Mante in 1948 and put him in Kalaburagi Central Jail for three months for waging war against it. He was released a few months before liberation of erstwhile Hyderabad state, on September 17, 1948.

Ever since, Mante has held khadi dear, and is continuing the fight to revive the dying handloom industry. Yadgir district administration said that Mante is the only surviving activist of erstwhile Hyderabad state liberation movement from Yadgir district.

“The government should do everything possible to protect traditional industries. Instead of giving free grains, money etc, the government should double or treble the wages of artistes, provide materials at subsidised rates, and provide a good market. The government should take steps to popularise products of traditional industries. It will not only save the traditional industry, but also increase employment opportunities and keep youngsters in good health,” he said.

Family bond with handlooms

Sangappa Mante was born on June 25, 1926, in a weaver’s family at Ikkalaki village of Aland taluk in Kalaburagi district. His family later shifted to Kodekal in Yadgir. He started working on handlooms at the age of 16, when his family had only two handloom units.

“There was a lot of demand for khadi and handloom back then, and we used to get sufficient cotton,” said Mante, who went on to increase the number of handloom units from two to 20, from 1942 to 1946.

Until 1960, his family had 22 units. There were 300 families in Kodekal which were involved in weaving, Mante recalls.

After 1960, the number of handloom production units started declining, and now his family has only two units, which are operated by Mante’s three sons. There are hardly 7-8 families who are still involved in traditional weaving, says Mante.

Mante, who is state unit president of the Federation of All-India Handloom Associations, had been invited by the President to participate in a reception for freedom fighters and activists at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 9, 2015.

‘Working on loom better than yoga’
Asked whether he was did yoga or exercise to maintain his health at the age of 97, Sangappa Mante said working on a handloom is a better exercise. We have to use our hands, legs, eyes and mind in coordination, which is a great exercise, he felt.

Roll of honour
Mante received the state-level Deshi Rastriya Kaimagga Prashasti (National Handloom Award) for 2012-13 on December 21, 2014, and Nekara Ratna Award instituted by Karnataka Rajya Nekara Samudayagala Okuta (Federation of Karnataka State Weaving community) on August 7, 2022

A few weeks ago, Yadgir Deputy Commissioner Sushila visited Mante’s house and felicitated him on behalf of the district administration. Sangappa has received an invitation from Kalyana Karnataka Amrit Mahotsava Samiti to receive an award on September 17 in Kalaburagi for his contribution to the liberation movement.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)