Nobel Prize in Medicine: Micro RNAs (miRNAs), Usurious Pricing of NBFCs, Parkinson’s Disease

(General Studies III – Science & Technology Section – Science and Technology- Developments and their Applications and Effects in Everyday Life. Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, Robotics, Nano-technology, Bio-technology and issues relating to Intellectual Property Rights.)

• Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, Nobel laureates were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of miRNAs and their role in regulating gene expression.
• This marked a significant breakthrough in understanding how small RNA molecules control protein production in cells, an essential process for maintaining cellular balance and development.

Clinical Applications of miRNAs –

1. Biomarkers for Disease Diagnosis: miRNAs are emerging as biomarkers for diagnosing various conditions, such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic disorders, due to their stability in body fluids.
   • Their profiles can detect diseases early and provide insight into their progression or genetic links. For example, specific miRNAs have been shown to predict tissue origin in poorly differentiated tumors, aiding in cancer diagnostics.
2. Drug Resistance Modulation: In cancer treatments, miRNAs play a role in overcoming drug resistance. By identifying miRNA profiles associated with drug resistance, researchers are developing new approaches to enhance the efficacy of cancer therapies.

4. Functional Studies: Researchers use synthetic miRNA mimics and inhibitors to study the roles of miRNAs in cellular processes. These tools help in understanding the impact of miRNA on development, homeostasis, and diseases like cancer and viral infections.
5. Vaccine Development: miRNAs are being integrated into vaccine design to enhance their safety and efficacy. By embedding miRNA response elements in viral genomes, vaccines can be engineered to attenuate specific tissues, providing targeted immune responses.
6. Agriculture Improvement: In agriculture, miRNAs are used to improve crop traits such as yield, stress resistance, and pest tolerance. Ongoing research aims to develop crops with better nutritional profiles and resistance to pathogens, contributing to addressing global food security challenges.

miRNAs hold vast potential across fields, from diagnostics and therapies in medicine to innovative applications in agriculture. While challenges like delivery systems persist, continued research is paving the way for miRNAs to play a transformative role in both human health and global sustainability.

• A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, in a 4:1 majority judgment, upheld the constitutionality of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, which allows immigrants from Bangladesh residing in Assam to secure Indian citizenship.
• The court ruled that the provision aligns with the preambular value of fraternity, emphasizing that fraternity should apply to all people in Assam without selectively labelling some as “illegal immigrants.
• Section 6A origins: Stemming from the Assam Accord of 1985.
• It provides citizenship to immigrants who entered Assam from Bangladesh before January 1, 1966.
• Those entering between January 1, 1966, and March 25, 1971, can secure citizenship through specific procedures.
• Entry after March 25, 1971, bars citizenship.
• Fraternity principle: SC emphasized the need for inclusive living, prioritizing the prevention of mass disenfranchisement in line with fraternity principles.
• The court acknowledged the burden of incessant migration on Assam but attributed the problem to government failure in detecting and deporting post-1971 immigrants, not Section 6A itself.
• The statutory machinery and Tribunals tasked with identifying illegal immigrants in Assam were found inadequate to implement the legislative objective of Section 6A effectively.
• The Chief Justice of India supported the majority, stating that Section 6A reflects Parliament’s attempt to balance humanitarian concerns with the economic and cultural impact on Assam.
• CJI found the cut-off date of March 25, 1971, reasonable, as immigrants before this date were victims of partition, while later entrants were refugees of the Bangladesh War.
• The court dismissed claims that the provision violates Article 29(1) of the Constitution, which protects cultural and linguistic rights, noting that Section 6A does not impede the Assamese people’s ability to safeguard their culture.

Dig Deeper: Read important provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019

• A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court is hearing petitions challenging the constitutionality of Exception 2 to Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and its equivalent in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which exempts husbands from being prosecuted for non-consensual sex with their wives if the wife is over 18 years old.
• The challenge addresses the broader issue of sexual violence within marriage and the implications for fundamental rights.
• Marital rape data remains limited due to stigma and legal barriers, but surveys indicate nearly one-third of married women in India face physical or sexual violence from their husbands.
• Global statistics show a majority of sexual assaults occur in intimate settings.
• MRE is rooted in the colonial “doctrine of coverture” from English common law, where a married woman’s legal existence was subsumed under her husband’s.
• The petitioners argue this exemption violates:
• Article 14: by treating married and unmarried women unequally.
• Article 15(1): as it discriminates based on marital status.
• Article 21: by infringing on a woman’s right to bodily integrity and decisional autonomy, as reaffirmed in landmark privacy cases.
• In 2022, the Supreme Court acknowledged intimate partner violence, including marital rape, as a reality and rejected the idea that sexual violence is limited to strangers.
• The government opposes striking down the MRE, arguing that marriage involves reasonable expectations of sexual relations and criminalizing marital rape could harm the institution of marriage and lead to false allegations.

Dig Deeper: Read the definition of Rape and exceptions under section 375.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed four non-banking financial corporations (NBFCs) to halt loan sanctions and disbursals due to concerns about regulatory violations and usurious pricing practices.
• NBFCs Involved are Asirvad Micro Finance Ltd., Arohan Financial Services Ltd., DMI Finance Private Ltd. and Navi Finserv Ltd.
• Usurious pricing (charging excessively high interest rates) practices based on their weighted average lending rate (WALR) and excessive interest spreads.
• Violations of regulatory guidelines on household income assessment, existing repayment obligations, and evergreening of loans.
• Issues in the conduct of gold loan portfolios, mandated disclosure requirements, and outsourcing of core financial services.

Dig Deeper: Read about the difference between NBFCs and Banks in the context of loan disbursal norms.

• Recent research suggests a potential “gut-brain connection” in Parkinson’s Disease (PD), known as the “gut-first hypothesis”.
• A study published in JAMA Network Open found that upper gastrointestinal (GI) mucosal damage was associated with a 76% higher risk of developing PD.
• PD is characterized by motor symptoms like tremors and rigidity, but non-motor symptoms, such as cognitive decline and gastrointestinal dysfunction, often precede these motor signs.
• Gastrointestinal issues, particularly constipation, may occur up to 20 years before motor symptoms, indicating that PD may involve dysfunction in the GI system.

• Gut hygiene plays a key role in preventing PD and other diseases. Maintaining a healthy gut involves avoiding unnecessary antibiotics, consuming less processed food, practising hand hygiene, and eating a fibre-rich diet.
• Fecal microbiota transplantation is a potential treatment option, though it is still in the research stage.

Dig Deeper: Read about other neurological conditions.