| Here's some good news. The final onslaught in the | | | | A vast army of defender cells comprising of 1000 |
| war against the HIV may come with shortening the | | | | million different types of white blood cells are |
| Window Period or the latent-- deceptive period of | | | | produced in the bone marrow every day. Some of |
| the disease- when even +ve appears -ve. | | | | these cells, called macrophages, constantly patrol the |
| Stimulating Maximal Antibody Response Tube - | | | | body, destroying germs as soon as they enter. This |
| SMARTube -- a simple, yet revolutionary | | | | is the 'natural' or inborn immunity. But if an infection |
| breakthrough in medical technology in the process of | | | | begins to take hold, the body fights back with even |
| being imported for the first time in India may prove | | | | more powerful T- and B-cells which give us acquired |
| to be the ultimate weapon for early warning and | | | | immunity, so that the germ can not make us ill again. |
| detection of HIV & HCV infections in human | | | | However, with HIV and HCV, the most devastating |
| beings, months before any other known test or | | | | and chronic infection--it could take weeks or up to |
| diagnostic method. | | | | many months to see any antibodies in the blood. |
| According to Dr N K Gupta-an internationally reputed | | | | AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus |
| NRI doctor, vascular biologist, motivational speaker | | | | (HIV), which attacks the immune system, disarming |
| and President, Society for Medicare - an India based | | | | the body's defenses against infections and cancers. |
| Ngo in the field of medical education, awareness and | | | | As a result even germs that cause minor illnesses in |
| capacity building to save human lives, Smartube will | | | | healthy people can make people with AIDS very ill. |
| not only revolutionise the detection of HIV and HCV | | | | AIDS is a medical condition. People develop AIDS |
| in India but also help in saving millions of lives. | | | | because HIV has damaged their natural defenses |
| "It may just be the Smart Solution or Smart Weapon | | | | against disease. HIV stands for the Human |
| India needs to fight off the smart invaders -- the | | | | Immunodeficiency Virus. It is a virus that infects the |
| lethal HIV & HCV virus who are masters in the | | | | cells that make up the human body and replicates i.e. |
| art of camoflage, deception and hidden combat after | | | | makes new copies of itself within those cells. HIV can |
| silently crippling the defenders - inside the human | | | | be passed from one person to another through |
| body", says Dr Gupta. | | | | contact with the body fluids of an HIV infected or |
| Truly with close to anywhere between 2.4 - 5.7 | | | | HIV+ person. The only reliable way to tell whether |
| million HIV+ve people & 165,000 reported AIDS | | | | someone has HIV is through blood tests, which can |
| cases -- 4,000,000 Men, 1,600,000 Women & | | | | detect the infection -- a few weeks after the virus |
| 1,20,000 children -- already living with HIV, in addition | | | | first entered the body. |
| to Hepatitis C virus (HCV) which accounts for | | | | Like all viruses, HIV cannot grow or reproduce on its |
| one-fourth of all cases of chronic liver disease causing | | | | own. In order to make new copies of itself it must |
| 1.5 -2 million deaths in Indian Homes-- INDIA cannot | | | | infect the cells of a living organism. With time HIV+ve |
| be left at the mercy of HIV/AIDS - HCV. | | | | persons may become ill more and more often. |
| The dangers due to this are fairly apparent as some | | | | Several years after the infection, the number of |
| 550,000 HIV patients have already developed AIDS | | | | immune system cells left in the body drops below a |
| and another 300,000 a year will develop AIDS over | | | | particular point. At this point a person may be said to |
| the next 15-20 years. Also as per World Bank | | | | have progressed from HIV to AIDS. Generally when |
| estimates India already has 2 million children - the | | | | someone has one or more of these infections and a |
| largest number AIDS orphans in the world-who are | | | | low number of T cells, he or she is said to be |
| expected to double in next five years. | | | | suffering from AIDS. Different countries have |
| The smartest part of the story is that SMARTube | | | | different parameters for defining the stage at which |
| not only ensures earlier, better and complete | | | | a HIV+ve person is said to have AIDS. |
| detection of HIV/HCV just a week after exposure | | | | Different viruses attack different parts of the body - |
| but also enables the detection of those patients who | | | | some attack the skin, others the lungs...even |
| were who were infected, but otherwise might would | | | | common cold is caused by a virus. What makes HIV |
| have gone undetected at that testing time. In doing | | | | --dangerous is that it attacks the immune system |
| so SMARTube promises to be a cost effective | | | | particularly a special type of immune system cell |
| method that increases the SENSITIVITY and | | | | known as a CD4 lymphocyte- that normally gets rid |
| SPECIFICITY of other known HIV & HCV | | | | of the viruses. HIV is a smart virus that tricks and |
| detection tests-with very little additional training or | | | | evades the body's defenses. Once the HIV virus |
| cost input. | | | | takes hold, the immune system can never fully get |
| According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) | | | | rid of it. |
| more than 25% of HIV+ve people in USA are | | | | Most of the HIV -HCV detction tests available today |
| unaware of their HIV status. Healthy in appearance | | | | like the Elisa including rapid tests and home test kits- |
| and feeling fine-- they do not receive proper care | | | | depend on detecting the volume of antibodies in the |
| and unknowingly pass the HIV virus to others. The | | | | blood instead of the virus itself. However in case of |
| trend worldwide, including India is that many people | | | | both HIV and HCV it can take weeks or months |
| are blissfully unaware of their HIV- HCV + ve status | | | | after infection before antibodies against are produced |
| and continue infect others while leading normal lives | | | | and detected. This infected yet serum-negative |
| simply because-o They do not have any visible or | | | | period is called the "window period". This is a period |
| apparent symptoms of HIV/AIDS - HCVo They | | | | when even HIV - HCV infected people will be |
| never felt the need to get testedo It is not a | | | | considered non-infected simply because they have |
| fashionable for people to get HIV - HCV tests done, | | | | not yet produced or developed detectable levels of |
| even once a lifetimeo Stigma attached with going for | | | | antibodies in their blood. |
| a HIV test (what will people say!), unless unavoidable | | | | As long as there are no antibodies, these patients are |
| Even otherwise, less than 1 % population of India get | | | | diagnosed as non-infected. This is called the window |
| themseleves tested for HIV-HCV even once in the | | | | period - the time between infection and the |
| lifetime and worst still upto 27 % HIV infected | | | | detection of antibodies-- that's where Smartube |
| people remain undiagnosed. | | | | comes in. |
| As things stand today, if a person tests negative for | | | | The window period of HIV and HCV infection is a |
| HIV or HCV - it doesn't mean that he/she is not | | | | major concern for the governments, health |
| infected. On the contrary he/she might be in the | | | | authorities and professionals, blood banks, vaccine |
| most contagious stage of the infection. Such a | | | | and drug developers all over the world, as many |
| person could well infect as many as 50 -100 others | | | | infected individuals test negative for HIV or HCV |
| before actually testing positive - months later. This is | | | | antibodies, and are thus misdiagnosed. Shortening the |
| due to the "Window Period". | | | | window period actually holds the key to saving |
| To understand how this window period affects us... | | | | millions of lives, billions of dollars, untold human |
| we have to first understand how our body responds | | | | resources, suffering, and deaths. |
| to infections and virus attacks ... Take for instance | | | | A simple process, called Stimmunology, for stimulating |
| the Human body is made up of about a 100 million | | | | the antibody production in-vitro in the blood sample, |
| cells. Just one teaspoon of blood contains about 25 | | | | prior to testing it for HIV (and/or HCV) antibodies, |
| billion red blood cells. The immune system is the | | | | has been developed, to solve the window period. |
| body's main line defender against infection and illness. | | | | This has been implemented in the SMARTube HIV |
| It recognizes the body's cells and tries to get rid of | | | | & HCV, which enables the detection of HIV and |
| anything unfamiliar. It destroys parasites and germs - | | | | HCV infections (during the window period) by |
| bacteria and viruses but can sometimes cause | | | | overcoming, in vitro, the specific immune suppression |
| problems by attacking unmatched blood or organs | | | | exerted by the virus, and which is the cause for the |
| donated by another person. | | | | window period. |
| In case of most infections, the immune system sees | | | | This process involves placing 1ml of blood sample |
| the foreign invaders and starts producing antibodies | | | | inside the SMARTube for a 3-5 day incubation period, |
| against them. Usually it takes 5-7 days for the | | | | leading to the formation of HIV and/or HCV |
| antibodies to develop after the infection. Antibodies | | | | antibodies in detectable levels in all those infected, |
| help out in detecting any infection in the blood, | | | | including those in the window period. |
| before the liver or lungs are affected. | | | | |