Current Affairs - Science

“Ayurveda for a Healthier Tomorrow” is the theme of the 11th Ayurveda Day, which will be celebrated on September 23, 2026, in Nagpur, Maharashtra. The theme highlights the importance of Ayurveda in promoting better health and sustainable living while integrating traditional healthcare with modern approaches. The campaign focuses on three major pillars: integrative healthcare, evidence-based research and innovation, and community wellbeing with sustainable living. Key initiatives include the National Dhanwantari Ayurveda Awards 2026, the release of Standard Treatment Guidelines for skin diseases, and the launch of Ayush Vision 2030. Ayurveda Day has been observed annually since 2016 on Dhanvantari Jayanti.

Rasonque (daraxonrasib) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 26, 2026, for adults with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Developed by Revolution Medicines, Inc., Rasonque is a RAS inhibitor that targets multiple forms of the RAS protein, a key driver of tumour growth. It is administered as a once-daily tablet and is intended for patients who have received at least one prior systemic therapy and are not candidates for multiagent systemic therapy. In a randomised clinical trial involving 500 adults, the treatment improved median overall survival to 13.2 months compared with 6.7 months with standard chemotherapy.

Apollo Hospitals launched the ‘Always Open. Always Here.’ initiative on August 21, 2026, to expand access to routine and planned healthcare services across all seven days of the week. The initiative extends outpatient consultations, diagnostic services, preventive health checks, and scheduled procedures to Sundays. Apollo also highlighted its AI-powered Apollo Prohealth platform for early health risk prediction and the Zen Health Program for detecting early signs of disease before symptoms appear. The initiative aims to provide timely healthcare access to Indian and international patients, supporting Apollo’s broader focus on preventive and technology-enabled healthcare.

RK-251 is a smart cancer drug developed through collaborative research led by the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati, and IIT-Guwahati. The drug is designed to selectively activate inside cancer cells by responding to high levels of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), which are more abundant in such cells. Once activated, RK-251 releases the anticancer compound NBDHEX. The drug demonstrated high efficacy against triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease. Preclinical testing using zebrafish embryos showed zero toxicity, while fluorescence helped monitor drug activation in ROS-rich environments.

ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) developed India’s first indigenous African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccine. The live attenuated vaccine was developed using the MA-104 cell line at ICAR–National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR-NIHSAD), Bhopal. It was officially launched by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on ICAR Foundation Day 2026. The vaccine is expected to strengthen livestock biosecurity, reduce pig mortality and support pig farmers, particularly in the North-Eastern states that have faced severe ASF outbreaks since 2020.