Biomarkers in Drug Discovery and Diagnostics Development
Ramesh K Goyal,
Executive Director (Research & Strategies),
V ClinBio Labs Pvt Ltd
In past 20 years, world over has been equipped with a plethora of molecular targets, identified from the sequencing of the human genome and advances in combinatorial chemistry. However, identification of biologically active small molecules for further optimization into candidate drugs has been challenging because of ethnic variations and hence could not capture full diversity of regulation seen in native cells. Biomarkers commonly utilized earlier in drug development and drug discovery included biochemical surrogate markers, enzymes, receptors and genes. Of late, application of stem cell research, novel biomarkers like microRNAs, extracellularRNAs, circulating tumour cells have emerged for non-invasive diagnostics as well as target identification in drug discovery.
Translational research using precision medicine is one of the main strategies being evolved recently worldwide by the industry in the drug discovery. Precision medicine aims to integrate both clinical and molecular information and provides biomarkers to better understand the biological basis of disease and therefore select them as better disease targets. Our current research focusses on various biomarkers like MIF and EGFR, for the development of newer anticancer drugs. We are also studying various pharmacogenomic and cytokines panels and miRNA as biomarkers for the development of diagnostics for the prevention of progression of diabetes induced complications like foot ulcer, pregnancy-induced miscarriages etc.
India has large and multiethnic population, the disease trend includes communicable as well as non-communicable complex diseases and there has been increase in number of multi-specialties hospitals and research institutions with state-of-the-art facilities. These can be one of the most important, unexplored hidden potentials for the development of innovative drugs and molecular diagnostics based on biomarker research.
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