Publications of NIPGR Scientists

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Author: search.filters.author.Muthamilarasan, MehanathanSubject: search.filters.subject.covid19

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    Small millets for enduring food security amidst pandemics
    (Elsevier B.V., 2021) Muthamilarasan, Mehanathan; Prasad, Manoj
    Highlights Over-reliance on a small number of major cereals impacts on the food and nutritional security of the global population, particularly during abnormal situations. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic challenges the lives and livelihood of marginal communities by limiting their access to these crops. Diversification of food crops is necessary to address food and nutritional security, and promoting the cultivation of alternative crops in marginal areas is imperative. Food security is an ongoing problem, and current staple foods are not sufficient to overcome challenges such as the present COVID-19 pandemic. We propose here that small millets have the potential to become new staple crops, especially in hunger hotspots. Currently, the absence of intensification of millet farming, lack of deployment of genetic tools for trait improvement, and the need for optimization of storage and supply chains limit crop production. We highlight a roadmap to strengthen small millet cultivation, such as identifying varieties suitable for particular environments and targeting trait improvement using genetic and genomic approaches. These approaches will help to combat hunger and malnutrition and also economically benefit the farmers and stakeholders involved in small millet cultivation amidst the ongoing pandemic.
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    Genomics approaches to synthesis plant-based biomolecules for therapeutic applications to combat SARS-CoV-2
    (Elsevier B.V., 2020) Sharma, Namisha; Muthamilarasan, Mehanathan; Prasad, Ashish; Prasad, Manoj
    COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is devastative to the humankind for which neither vaccines nor precise therapeutic molecules for treatment are identified. The search for new drugs and repurposing of existing drugs are being performed; however, at the same time, research on plants to identify novel therapeutic compounds or testing the existing ones is progressing at a slower phase. In this context, genomics and biotechnology offer various tools and strategies to manipulate plants for producing those complex biopharmaceutical products. This review enumerates the scope for research on plant-based molecules for their potential application in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection. Strategies to edit gene and genome, overexpression and silencing approaches, and molecular breeding for producing target biomolecules in the plant system are discussed in detail. Altogether, the present review provides a roadmap for expediting research on using plants as a novel source of active biomolecules having therapeutic applications.
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    Synergistic antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2 by plant-based molecules
    (Springer Nature Publishing AG, 2020) Prasad, Ashish; Muthamilarasan, Mehanathan; Prasad, Manoj
    The exponential spread of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emphasizes the immediate need for efective antiviral drugs and vaccines that could control and prevent the spread of this pandemic. Several new and repurposed drugs are being tested for their efectiveness in the treatment regime, and the development of vaccines is underway. The availability of genome sequence information of the virus and the identifcation of potential targets to neutralize and eradicate the infection have enabled the search for novel as well as existing molecules to perform the desired function. However, the application of plants in the development of potential biomolecules, such as antibiotics and vaccines, is limited. Traditional medicines involving plant-based formulations have proven successful in boosting immunity and providing tolerance to virus infections. Still, in-depth studies are not available to explore the bioactive compounds of plant origin and their mechanism of action. Given this, the current opinion article conveys our thoughts and perspectives on the promising usage of plant-based biomolecules in circumventing SARS-CoV-2, and how these molecules can work synergistically with other potential drugs for treating SARS-CoV-2.