Meet the face behind anti-COVID drug developed by DRDO

After DCGI approved the emergency use of an anti-COVID drug 2-DG as an adjunct therapy in moderate to severe COVID-19 cases, DRDO's senior scientist Dr Anil Kumar Mishra, who has played a prominent role in developing the drug, has grabbed global attention.

Ballia: DRDO's senior scientist Dr Anil Kumar Mishra has become the pride of Uttar Pradesh's Ballia after his anti-COVID drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) has been approved for emergency use as an adjunct therapy in moderate to severe COVID-19 cases by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

Dr Mishra has played a prominent role in developing the 2-DG drug which is grabbing global attention.

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According to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), an anti-COVID-19 therapeutic application of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) has been developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of DRDO in collaboration with Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Hyderabad.

Clinical trial results have shown that this molecule helps in the faster recovery of hospitalized patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence.

A higher proportion of patients treated with 2-DG showed RT-PCR negative conversion in COVID patients.

The drug will be of immense benefit to the people suffering from Covid-19 in the ongoing pandemic.

Dr Mishra has also claimed that the drug is effective on children as well and doubles their recovery rate.

Dr Anil Mishra was born to Vijay Shankar Mishra and Sushila Mishra in Misri Chak village of Ballia's Sikandarpur area.

He completed his M.Sc. from Gorakhpur University in the year 1984 and PhD from the Department of Chemistry from Banaras Hindu University in 1988.

He was a postdoctoral fellow for three years with Professor Roger Gillard at the University of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in easter France.

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He was also a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California with Professor CF Meyers.

Dr AK Mishra was also a research scientist with Professor Chatal at INSERM research institute in France from 1994 to 1997.

He then joined DRDO's Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences as a senior scientist in 1997.

He was also a Visiting Professor at the Max-Planck Institute, Germany and Head of INMAS from 2002 to 2003.

Dr Mishra is presently working at the Cyclotron and Radiopharmaceutical Sciences Division of the DRDO and is researching Radiochemistry, Nuclear Chemistry and Organic Chemistry.

His current project is 'Development of Molecular Imaging Probes'.

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