Disability and invisibility in India

Long time back, I edited a book for Ali Baquer who was the President of Concerned Action Now (CAN), an advocacy group for the disabled.  At that time Delhi was getting new bus stops and it was publicly touted to be disabled friendly.  Prof. Baquer and I discussed how misleading the publicity was because none of the bus stops really are wheelchair accessible.
In India the disabled are invisible in many senses.  Accessibility, support groups, diagnosis, medical help...the list is endless.  I am not going to say much but am going to provide a link to a write-up that explains it all.

The Philadelphia Chromosome by Jessica Wapner

The Philadelphia Chromosome is a poster-child for chromosome translocation.  This is the example most students will give when asked about chromosomal translocation. I was taught this in my M.Sc. and I teach it to my students in Human Genetics when I talk about diseases caused by chromosome translocation.  The importance of this translocation is underscored by the type of cancer it causes- Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML).
The DNA in our cells are present in the form of 24 chromosomes. Each chromosome has a specific set of DNA sequence. It is same in every individual.  Occasionally, two chromosomes can exchanges pieces in a process known as Chromosomal Translocation. This is bad because it can result in loss of information.  In case of Philadelphia Chromosome, it results in the formation of a rogue gene that results in cancer.
Jessica Wapner has traced the discovery of this chromosome and the cure for the cancer it causes- Gleevec.  The story begins in 1959 when David Hungerford discovered that one of the chromosomes was too short in the blood samples of patients suffering from CML.   At that time the concept of chromosome translocation was unknown.  The minute chromosome was named Philadelphia Chromosome in honor of the city of its discovery.
From there, the story traverses across continents and laboratories wherein it was firmly established that the Philadelphia chromosome is due to exchange of DNA between chromosome 9 and 14  and this exchange results in the synthesis of an abnormal protein known as Bcr-abl that causes cells to divide indefinitely.  This abnormal protein is a kinase- it transfers a phosphate group from ATP to proteins causing them to become active.
The discovery that an abnormal protein kinase causes cancer spurred researchers and doctors- in particular Brian Druker- to push for an inhibitor that would specially block the function of this abnormal kinase. Today we call this strategy Rational Drug Design and it really begins with knowing the structure of the protein. However, for Bcr-abl, the structure was unknown and the scientists working in Ciba-Geigy synthesized chemicals and screened them for inhibition activity. Gleevec was discovered in this screen.
Ciba-Geigy was purchased by Novartis.  Not many people were convinced that the inhibitor would be a good drug. Further, there was the cost factor- CML affected too few people to make it an attractive market.  However, Druker persists and finally, Gleevec was approved for drug trials.  And of course finally for medical use.
Gleevec is that rare chemotherapeutic medicine that a patient can take at home with very few side effects.  It is effect also against c-kit, which causes GIST cancer.  The only caveat is that Gleevec has to be taken for life- at least till now that is the story.
Jessica Wapner traces this 40 year old story and I enjoyed it tremendously. 
As an aside: There was a dispute over the drug in India which Novartis lost.  Jessica barely mentions it though it was landmark decision where the Supreme Court of India ruled that Novartis cannot patent Gleevec in India allowing for the generic drug to be manufactured.

Finally: Nothing to do with Gleevec. Winter did arrive in Delhi albeit late. 

Sweet Potato soup and winter of discontent

This time too the winter has played hooky.  It has been unseasonally warm.  Usually, we get a week of really cold spell with the day temperature going down to 12-14oC and the night temperature plunging to 3-4oC.  There would be a watery sun that would perhaps bravely appear around noon to promptly disappear by 2 pm in the afternoon.  But this year, just like last year, it has been sunny throughout the day much to our disappointment as it just means that the summer will arrive early with its unbearable heat.

The garden has done okayish in spells. We had trouble with the usual suspects - peacocks and nilgai.  Then this year the fox and the hedgehog decided to put in an appearance.  The methi, spinach, cauliflower, and lettuce were much appreciated by these two animals. We have now fenced the entire area but I am quite sure that the animals will figure a way out.

I went to Chennai as usual for the winter (or whatever weather was prevailing in Delhi).  When I came back, the crysanthemums had flowered, bringing much needed colour to the garden.  This week I cut some and put it in flower vases. 

Their season is almost over. Next week, we will remove them.  Hopefully, the dahlias will flower soon.

In this mild winter one does not even feel like making soups. However, I did have one opportunity to make it. My mother invited her brother's family over for dinner before they went back to Canada.  As we had some sweet potatoes, I decided to make a soup, which was much appreciated. My aunt asked for the recipe and I gaped at her. That day I had been distracted as I was writing a rebuttal to an editor who had rejected our paper (the rebuttal was rejected as expected).  So, I had just grabbed whatever was in the fridge and put it into the soup. The recipe always varies depending on my mood. That day, I gave a tadka of jeera,and fried some onions, added chopped carrots, sweet potato, and peas.  As an afterthought, I added a piece of red chilli. All this was boiled with plenty of water in a kadhai (I do not like to use pressure cooker for soups).  After the vegetables had cooked well, I cooled it down and then pureed it in a mixer.  Just before serving, it was heated with salt and pepper.

Sometimes, I added a piece of garlic. Sometimes milk. Sometimes curd. The interesting thing about soups is that the variations are endless. It just depends on the cook.

Happy New Year!