| Description |
BIRAC ANNOUNCES REQUEST FOR PROP
ESTABLISHING PRECLINICAL MODELS FOR DRUG DISCOVERY
INTRODUCTION
The maximum treatment therapies fail during translation
of results from preclinical models to humans due to
deficiency of robust preclinical models Generating
meaningful and predictive results preclinically requires
alignment of the model systems that mirror the patient
context. Animal models have many facets that mimic
various disease conditions in humans like systemic
autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, epilepsy,
Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular diseases,
Atherosclerosis, diabetes, etc., and many more. In doing
so, the ability to conduct both forward translations,
(the process of implementing basic research discoveries
into practice), as well as reverse translation, (the
process of elucidating the mechanistic basis of clinical
observations), greatly enhances the ability to develop
effective treatments.
For testing the lead molecules/ NCE/drug repurposing
etc. researchers are either dependent on preclinical
models from abroad or compromise on doing the studies
with available model. There is need of relevant
pharmacological models which may predict the intended
therapeutic indications
KEY FEATURES OF THE CALL
The objective of this request for proposal (RFP) is to
establish preclinical disease models (In-vitro/In-vivo)
for screening new drugs, NCE, natural compounds,
vaccines etc. Robust models would be developed which
would be able to offer insights into the multifaceted
pathophysiology of diseases relevant to India. The
developed models should be ready to be offered as a
service-based platform, which researchers/ Industries
across the country may access to get their molecules
tested.
In view of above, a landscape report was prepared by
BIRAC and main objective of the report was to prioritize
the disease areas of the country based on prevailing
disease burden, Existing drug-specific pipelines,
contractual Research organizations, Phase I clinical
trial units and repositories/library on NCEs, biologics
and bio-active molecules in the country.
Detailed methodology was chosen to prioritize the
diseases. According to the method opted, 19 diseases out
of 130 were identified by applying high level filters.
As a result of priority process which was based on two
key parameters i.e. Disease potential and Impact on
community, top ten (10) indications were identified and
detailed reports were generated. In addition to the
scoring, a high level semi-qualitative assessment among
the 10 prioritized indications yielded top three key
indications which were Chronic Kidney Disease, Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Head and Neck Cancer.
The top 10 prioritized indications as per Indian
Scenario are:
Acute Ischemic Stroke (Metabolic disorder)
Breast Cancer (Oncology)
Chronic Kidney Disease, (Diseases and conditions
that cause chronic kidney disease include: Type 1 or
type 2 diabetes)
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, (Lung
disease)
Coronary Artery Disease (Metabolic disorder)
Head and Neck Cancer (Oncology)
Human immunodeficiency virus infection (Infectious
Disease)
Migraine
Tuberculosis (Infectious Disease)
Type 2 Diabetes (Metabolic disorder)
Robust models which could offer innovative insights into
the multifaceted pathophysiology of unmet diseases
relevant to India will be useful which may further be
expanded as a service-based platform model, where
researchers/ Industries across the country may access to
get their molecule tested.
Therefore, there is a need for developing preclinical
models in some of the prioritized areas as mentioned in
scope of call
WHO CAN APPLY?
Proposals can be submitted by the stake holders
(Academia or Industry) individually or in collaboration
with each other. The entities who are the applicants or
the collaborators shall be evaluated for eligibility
criteria for which details are as below-:
For Academia (Public or Private) i.e. University,
Institute, society, NGO or Research Foundation,
established in India, having a proper registration/
accreditation from a government body like UGC/
NAAC/AICTE, CSIR
/DSIR/SIRO affiliation certificate etc. is mandatory
Company (Start up, Small, Medium or Large)
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