04 Oct 2023: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

E. Editorials

Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. The trouble with a Nobel for mRNA COVID vaccines

Syllabus: GS-3, Science and Technology – Developments and their Applications and Effects in Everyday Life.

Prelims: Nobel Prize for Physiology, mRNA technology Invitro transcription, COVAX program

Mains: Equity in access to Science, Commercialisation of Scientific discoveries

Context

• The 2023 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for developing the mRNA vaccine technology. 

Evolution of mRNA as means for vaccine delivery

• Katalin Karikó became interested in mRNA when it was still a new concept, and her work continued through various obstacles.
• Genetic information in DNA is transferred to messenger RNA (mRNA) in human cells.
• mRNA serves as a template for protein production, which is essential for cell growth and repair.
• In the 1980s, scientists discovered that mRNA could be used for vaccines and therapies through a process called in vitro transcription.
• However, there were several obstacles to overcome, such as delivery challenges and inflammatory reactions.
• She then partnered with immunologist Drew Weissman, who studied dendritic cells crucial for immune response.
• They modified mRNA bases over time to improve delivery and eliminate inflammation.
• Their work began in 2005, 15 years before the COVID-19 pandemic, but its significance became apparent in 2019 when scientists taught mRNA vaccines to instruct human cells to produce the S protein found on the COVID-19 virus, triggering antibody creation.
• This was the foundation for the fastest vaccine development program in history during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The award also recognizes the contributions of a female scientist. 
• Only 13 women have won the Nobel Prize for Medicine out of 225 awarded and 62 women winning any Nobel Prize out of 894 men.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration and persistent scientific research have led to the success of mRNA vaccines.

Issues with the commercialisation of mRNA vaccine

• The Nobel Prize for Medicine must be awarded for a discovery that confers the greatest benefit to humankind, but some critics point out that mRNA vaccines used during the pandemic may not meet this standard.
• Dr. Karikó and Dr. Weissman began working together on the mRNA platform at the University of Pennsylvania. 
• The university licensed its patents to mRNA RiboTherapeutics, which sublicensed them to CellScript, which sublicensed them to Moderna and BioNTech for $75 million each.
• Dr. Karikó joined BioNTech as senior vice president in 2013, and the company enlisted Pfizer to develop its mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 in 2020.
• Governments and public funds often cover the costs of researching and identifying potential bio-molecular targets for drugs and vaccines, with estimated costs ranging from $1-2.5 billion and taking several decades to develop.
• Companies then commercialize and profit from these discoveries, often at the expense of the same people who funded the initial research through taxes.
• While this model can promote innovation and eventual price competition, it also imposes a “double spend” on consumers and encourages profit-driven tendencies among companies.

Equity in vaccine availability

• Moderna and Pfizer’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were initially limited to North America and Europe due to export restrictions and negotiations over pricing and liability.
• This highlights the challenges faced in distributing medical resources globally.
• COVAX, a program aimed at ensuring poorer countries have access to sufficient stocks of mRNA vaccines, failed to meet its targets.
• India, Russia, and China exported billions of doses of their vaccines, but their efforts were marred by concerns about manufacturing capacity (in the case of India) and quality (in the case of Russia and China).
• There were reports of several African countries having to discard large quantities of vaccine doses due to expiration dates.
• The WHO encouraged these countries to use the expired doses, but this required a level of community engagement and risk communication that was lacking in many of these countries.

Corbevax – A case for ethical scientific discovery

• Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital Centre for Vaccine Development developed Corbevax, a protein subunit vaccine, and licensed it to India’s Biological E for manufacturing without patenting it.
• Kenya’s Ambassador to the United Nations Martin Kimani praised the developers for providing “ethical and scientific leadership” in their efforts.

Conclusion

• Despite the potential benefits of mRNA technology, it did not reach everyone during the pandemic due to administrative mistakes.
• While it is unfair to criticize scientists for seeking financial gain from their research, governments should work towards more equitable access to medical resources so they benefit all of humankind.
  

Nut Graf: Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize for Medicine for their development of mRNA vaccine technology, which has revolutionized the way vaccines are made and delivered. However, some critics argue that the commercialization of mRNA vaccines has not benefited all of humankind equally.

Category: INDIAN POLITY

1. Using AI for audit techniques

Syllabus: GS-2, Appointment to various Constitutional Posts, Powers, Functions and Responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.

Prelims: CAG, AI, State Audit Institution (SAI) G20 conference

Mains: Challenges associated with AI and Audit 

Context

• The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has warned about the risks of relying solely on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for auditing purposes.
• The CAG emphasized the importance of ethics in the use of AI and stressed that responsible AI must be both ethical and inclusive.

Challenges Faced by CAG in Audit

• The CAG conducts financial, compliance and performance audits.
• The challenges of auditing with AI include ensuring transparency, objectivity, fairness, and avoiding bias.
• Lack of appropriate legislation regarding the use of AI systems. 
• Data integration and cross-referencing become cumbersome due to data being sourced from different places and stored in multiple platforms without standardization. 
• Ensuring the accuracy of data mines is another issue which could derail the audit process. This could be due to the human bias present in machine learning data sets.

Global developments

• The European Parliament approved the EU AI Act in June, which is the first of its kind in the world.
• The Act ensures that generative AI tools will be under greater scrutiny.
• Developers must submit their systems for review and approval before releasing them commercially.
• The Act also prohibits real-time biometric surveillance in public settings and “social scoring” systems.
• India should take a cue from the EU and create appropriate legislation regarding the use of AI systems.

AI and Audit

• Framework: 
  • The State Audit Institution (SAI) G20 conference stressed the importance of a universal audit framework for AI.
• Communication: 
  • Communication with stakeholders on the do’s and don’ts are crucial since there are limited precedents for AI usage.
• Standardize: 
  • Legally acceptable definitions and taxonomies of AI must be examined.
• Scope: 
  • Auditors must choose an appropriate AI design and architecture while defining the audit’s objective, scope, approach, criteria, and methodology, considering the wide variation in AI systems and solutions.
• Capacity Building: 
  • Capacity building of auditors in diverse aspects of the AI technology landscape is necessary to familiarize them with AI frameworks, tools, and software.
  • AI audit tasks can also include consulting with experts such as data scientists, data engineers, data architects, programmers, and AI specialists.
• Ethics: 
  • In the absence of specific AI auditing guidelines, auditors should prioritize ethics, utilize authentic data sources for transparency, address legal issues, and assess IT control and governance shortcomings.
• Risk Mitigation: 
  • Third-party control of infrastructure during AI outsourcing via cloud computing poses risks.
  • Risks associated with the AI domain, including large data, machine learning, and cybersecurity, must be recorded in a risk and control matrix.
  • Data Protection Impact Assessments should be conducted on AI systems processing personal data to mitigate potential risks.

Way Ahead

• Responsible AI must add credibility, trust, and scalability to the CAG audit.
• Complete, timely, accurate, available, and relevant datasets are essential for reliable audit findings.
• To overcome these challenges, the government’s IT policies must synchronize all entity data platforms.
• The CAG is introducing One Indian Audit and Accounts Department One System, a web-enabled IT application supporting multiple languages, offline functionality, and a mobile app, to digitize the audit process starting from April 1, 2023, except for defense audits due to security concerns.
• A multifaceted approach may be necessary to mitigate bias and ensure the safety and accuracy of AI models.

Nut Graf: The CAG has warned of the risks of relying solely on AI for auditing, emphasizing the importance of ethics and appropriate legislation. To mitigate these risks, India should develop a universal audit framework for AI, standardize definitions and build capacity for auditors in AI technology.