DRDO’s corona chemistry drug has claimed to be a significant game-changer. 2-Deoxy-D+Glucose (2-DG) is a form of glucose that is likely to be commercialized soon. Dr. Anil Kumar Mishra, a scientist from Balia (UP), is the hero behind this discovery.
Mishra received his M.Sc. (Chemistry) degree from Gorakhpur University in 1984 and his Ph.D. degree from Banaras Hindu University in 1988. Molecular Biology and Organic Synthesis are the mainstays of his study. He has served as a visiting professor in France, California (USA), and Max Plank, Germany, since completing his post-doctoral studies. In 1997, he joined the DRDO as a Senior Scientist.
2-DG is a D-Glucose clone made by replacing the -OH group at C2 with an H-atom. As a result, the term 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose refers to the removal of oxygen from the second carbon. Since it looks like D-glucose, it can easily enter cells where Coronavirus is already present.
With the release of energy, glucose breaks down into two three-carbon compounds, pyruvate anion (CH3COCOO-). Glycolysis is the name of the metabolic process. All living organisms depend on this energy to live. The Coronavirus also uses this energy to survive. 2-DG, unlike D-Glucose, is unsuitable for glycolysis. There is no energy evolution due to the difficulty in maintaining life; Coronavirus dies within a week due to a lack of energy. This medication is also said to help patients with their oxygen dependency. By the identical mechanism, this drug is antitumor and anticancer.
The science behind the DRDO-developed 2DG drug for Covid-19: DRDO has scheduled to release 10,000 doses of 2DG this evening or tomorrow! Hopefully, mass-scale development will begin soon in Hyderabad, and most likely elsewhere! The operating principle is simple: “Cheat the Cheater”! You’re probably aware that once a virus enters the body, it makes its copies by deceiving our human cells and stealing their protein to replicate! Indian scientists’ brilliant thinking process was quick! Any time a virus cell doubles in size, it needs energy (glucose!). So, the drug is essentially a “Pseudo” Glucose that the multiplying virus consumes, but which ultimately renders it neuter (unable to reproduce!). As a result of ‘cheating the cheater,’ once the virus’s rapid replication has stopped, our antibodies will easily fight it and defeat it within hours!