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In early 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out of Wuhan, the world had very limited knowledge about it; be it how infectious it was or how it can be contained. The lack of information around the COVID-19 virus was so severe that the WHO – World Health Organization also said that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmissions. But, later on, it was found to be one of the most infectious viruses that humankind has ever encountered; leading to millions of infections and deaths. Since then the world has come a long way with vaccines and even preventive measures being identified and implemented across the world.
When scientists were busy finding out ways to counter the COVID-19 virus; Anjali Khokhar – a 3rd Year BSc Medical Student at KVA DAV College For Women, Karnal, Haryana, also decided to clip in with a unique research project. Anjali started working on Tacet Interfectorem – a fake virus that was structurally very similar to COVID-19 and induced similar symptoms upon infection. As part of her research, she studied the fake-virus model and found out ways to contain its spread through innovative techniques.
Project - Treatment of Tacet Interfectorem
‘Tacet Interfectorem’ – the fake virus, which Anjali was working on, had similar symptoms to COVID-19 in patients but with severe complications, devastating and more infectious than COVID-19. As part of the project, she researched and found out all the possible solutions to treat this viral pandemic.
To contain the spread of the virus, she tried various innovative techniques and used solutions from Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic, Nanomedicine, Biotechnological techniques, stem cell therapy, etc. along with public health solutions. Being a fake virus, she constructed the ‘Tacet Interfectorem’ in digital structure and continued her search using research papers based on different health policies and guidelines prescribed by authorities.
During the latter half of the project, she got an opportunity to be involved in the process of suggesting the potential solutions just like an epidemiologist. This project was done as a selected participant of International Future M.D.s+ 2021 organized by Medstempowered which is a 501(c) 3 Medical nonprofit organization. It was presented at a research symposium.
Tacet Interfectorem - Click Here for Presentation on Preventive Measures and Solutions
Key Findings of the Tacet Interfectorem Project
As part of the project, it was decided to pair up solutions from different medicines like TCM, Ayurvedic, Allopathic, etc. The key findings of the Tacet Interfectorem project are -
- Saliva-based biosensors and blood tests can be the most promising method of detecting the infection.
- Hyperbaric oxygen treatment and Botulinum toxin injections can be a better solution to treat impaired limb function.
- For the treatment of loss of senses, one can go for olfactory psychophysical assessment, stem cell therapy, and physical therapy.
- Platinum-based chemotherapy, traditional Chinese, DNA repair pathways, Targeted Angiogenesis, and Targeted therapy are the best options to treat cancer that developed due to viral infection.
- Also, monoclonal antibody therapy can be a really good method to control viral infection as in this therapy the antibodies directly target the spike protein and inhibit its binding with cellular receptor thereby preventing the entry into the cell.
Conclusions are drawn: One should consider all symptoms and medical history of the patient before treating any patient and try to suggest a combination of treatments instead of sticking to just one treatment method to get better results.
Click Here to Watch Anjali’s Research Symposium Video
Other Projects and Initiatives
Apart from this research project, Anjali also worked on a project titled 'Access to Adequate Healthcare in Rural Areas’ to gain insights into the lack of adequate healthcare in rural areas, reasons for hospital closures, which groups are primarily affected, what is currently being done to make the situation better and what one should do to get rural people full access to the healthcare system. She wishes that these projects help the general public more in various aspects.
Click Here for Presentation on 'Access to Adequate Healthcare in Rural Areas’ Project
Anjali is a finalist for Best Use of Science & Technology Because…when the biggest brains across the globe were researching the COVID-19 virus, she worked on a project and identified innovative techniques to contain the spread of the virus which was fake but structurally very similar to Coronavirus. Her research helped healthcare workers and STEM professionals to guide people on best practices to contain the spread of viral infections.
To Reach the Information Dossier Shared by Anjali Click Here.