Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Richard J. Roberts deconstruct the unseen world of bacteria
Students, scientists and members of the public thronged Indian Institute of Science's (IISc) Tata Auditorium on Monday to hear Nobel laureates Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Richard J. Roberts deconstructing the fascinating workings of that invisible, yet ubiquitous life form: bacteria.
Are the days of incurable diseases really over? Not quite, when diseases such as tuberculosis are seeing a resurgence, said biologist Ramakrishnan, Joint Head of the Structural Studies Division at the Medical Research Council, Cambridge.
He was delivering a lecture on ‘How antibiotics illuminate Ribosome function and vice versa.'
“The world has 100 million active cases of tuberculosis, a disease that claims two million lives every year,” he said, attributing the complexities in treating the disease to drug resistance, among other reasons.
“When a new antibiotic is introduced, you can be guaranteed that it will at some point gain drug resistance.”
Bacteria counter antibiotics through several modus operandi: by degrading or altering enzymes and by actually ejecting them out of their cells, said Professor Ramakrishan, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2009 for “studies of the structure and function of the ribosome.”
It was significant that it took $1 billion to develop new drugs from scratch, he said.
“As public, we need to be aware that structural biologists and pharmaceutical companies cannot alone solve the problem of drug resistance. We need infection control, measures to improve sanitary conditions and promote the rational use of antimicrobials,” he said.
“Do not, for instance, insist on an antibiotic if you catch a cold and flu.”
In his lecture “Why I love Bacteria,” Professor Roberts, who is the Chief Scientific Officer at New England Biolabs, Massachusetts, offered a look at the unseen bugs — friendly and unfriendly — that share our body and planet.
“If we removed every bacterium from our body, we will cease to exist,” he said. “Our bodies have some 10 trillion human cells, but it has 10 times the number of bacterial cells: 100 trillion to be precise.”
Whether the “picturesque” and colourful bacteria that lived in the Yellowstone geothermal pools or the deadly Yersinia pestis (or plague bacterium) that decimated Europe in the Middle Ages, the microscopic organism just cannot be ignored, he said.
Professor Roberts received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1993.
He described as “illogical” the European fear of genetically modified products, which has stalled research in several areas, including probiotic food that could have had several benefits.
The M.J. Thirumalachar and M.J. Narasimhan Endowment Lectures were organised to honour the memory of biologist Thirumalachar, who established the Jeersannidhi-Anderson Institute at Walnut Creek, California, along with his son M.J. Narasimhan.
Ayurveda is good substitute for antibiotics. This should be explored.
The root cause is modern civilization. It must be replaced by the normal.
In the olden days , medicines were relatively safer , and surgeries too risky. In today's scenario the outlook is 180 degrees displaced. Especially certain drugs to cure tuberculosis can damage the lever to a great extent. Are majority of doctors doing an assay of the liver status , checking with the patients about their genetically related kith and kin's past problems and things like that , before administering certain doses of certain drugs? The answer is not clear to me.
Although I fully respect the speakers, it is very very important that awareness about basic cleanliness, sanitation and keeping ours and our environment clean should reach eyes, ears and mind of each Indian. We keep our house clean,but throw our rubbish into our neighbour's ground.We divert our dishwashed water to neighbours garden or into main road. Rather having one small concrete dustbin for the whole community, why cant we pack our own rubbish and let corporation come and collect as a whole. We cut trees to build tons of flat. where is the space to breathe then than breathing 100kgs of mud and emissions from vehicles.
Go to developed countries and learn Guys..London which is three times bigger than chennai has abundance of green parks which shouldnt be touched by any real estate or Govt for building purposes. Who is living healthier and longer..Is it us or them???.Wake up people. Respect your surroundings, plant more trees, respect your neighbour.
Where is Ramakrishnan's photo giving a lecture?
Here too you have to show something fair & easy on the eye? We want to know who is Ramakrishnan and how does he look like?
It is very interesting to note the campaign of the Nobel Laureates on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) which is the menace of the modern times. Incidentally this year's World Health Day theme was -Antimicrobial resistance: no action today, no cure tomorrow. Although this trouble is not new, but the fact is that it is becoming more dangerous; urgent and consolidated efforts are needed to avoid regressing to the pre-antibiotic era.
While these superbugs are a hazard and more disturbing in hospitals, it is good to note that their advise on not to take antibiotics for cold and cough. Surpricingly their talk does not figure out on the importance of body's immunity the most invaluable nature gifted disease fighting capacity to be supported, enhanced and focused.
Nobel laureates professors Ramakrishnan and Roberts have highlighted on the dangers Of taking antibiotics by the patients in the case of cough and flu and it will be prudent to Follow their advice strictly for the maintenance of health. In India, unlike USA, the patients Can purchase antibiotics without prescription, and many sick people rely on antibiotics for Quick relief and this leads to drug resistance at a later stage in life, for major ailments. I have seen some patients themselves suggesting to friendly doctors to recommend strong Antibiotics and certain doctors refusing that, in the interests of the patients. If the antibiotics Are sold only on prescription in India, it will be a great relief. The government also in India Should create an awareness about this aspect at the national level in the interests of the Sick and such a move will be greatly beneficial to those at the BPL level in India.
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