Current Affairs - Science

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.

Jodhpur in Rajasthan will host the International Type 1 Diabetes Summit 2026 from July 30 to August 1, 2026. The three-day global conference will bring together leading diabetes specialists, researchers, policymakers, government officials, and patient representatives from countries including India, the USA, and Australia. Organised by Friends of Mewar, Breakthrough T1D, and the William J. Clinton Foundation, the summit will focus on improving access to affordable insulin, advancing diabetes technologies such as continuous glucose monitoring and insulin pumps, promoting digital health solutions, strengthening international research collaboration, and enhancing the quality of life for people living with Type 1 diabetes.

QDENGA, developed by Takeda, became India's first approved dengue vaccine after receiving authorisation from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). The live attenuated vaccine provides protection against all four dengue virus serotypes (DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4) and is approved for individuals aged 4 to 60 years without requiring pre-vaccination screening. Administered in two doses, the vaccine demonstrated high efficacy in global clinical trials involving over 28,000 participants. It has already been approved in 43 countries, prequalified by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and is expected to significantly strengthen India's efforts to prevent dengue infections and related hospitalisations.