Perspectives About Modulating Host Immune System in Targeting SARS-CoV-2 in India
Authors
Sreyashi Majumdar
Division of Bioinformatics, Bose Institute, Kolkata, India
Rohit Verma
Virology Laboratory, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Research Centre, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, India
Avishek Saha
Ubiquitous Analytical Techniques, CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Chandigarh, India
Parthasarathi Bhattacharyya
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Institute of Pulmocare and Research, Kolkata, India
Pradipta Maji
Biomedical Imaging and Bioinformatics Lab, Machine Intelligence Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, India
Milan Surjit
Virology Laboratory, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Research Centre, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, India
Manikuntala Kundu
Department of Chemistry, Bose Institute, Kolkata, India
Joyoti Basu
Department of Chemistry, Bose Institute, Kolkata, India
Sudipto Saha
Division of Bioinformatics, Bose Institute, Kolkata, India
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus induced disease-2019 (COVID-19), is a type of common cold virus responsible for a global pandemic which requires immediate measures for its containment. India has the world’s largest population aged between 10 and 40 years. At the same time, India has a large number of individuals with diabetes, hypertension and kidney diseases, who are at a high risk of developing COVID-19. A vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2, may offer immediate protection from the causative agent of COVID-19, however, the protective memory may be short-lived. Even if vaccination is broadly successful in the world, India has a large and diverse population with over one-third being below the poverty line. Therefore, the success of a vaccine, even when one becomes available, is uncertain, making it necessary to focus on alternate approaches of tackling the disease. In this review, we discuss the differences in COVID-19 death/infection ratio between urban and rural India; and the probable role of the immune system, co-morbidities and associated nutritional status in dictating the death rate of COVID-19 patients in rural and urban India. Also, we focus on strategies for developing masks, vaccines, diagnostics and the role of drugs targeting host-virus protein-protein interactions in enhancing host immunity. We also discuss India’s strengths including the resources of medicinal plants, good food habits and the role of information technology in combating COVID-19. We focus on the Government of India’s measures and strategies for creating awareness in the containment of COVID-19 infection across the country.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, genetic variations, host immuno-modulation, repurposed drugs, vaccines, medicinal plants, CT scans, artificial intelligence
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