Hyderabad: CCMB Signs MoU with Aganitha

According to Dr Puran Singh, senior scientist at CCMB, explained that with regard to malaria, “Using various techniques, we identify the molecules of the parasites – proteins -- essential for parasite development. The question is, can we use these proteins for the development of drugs or vaccines or both?”

“We keep doing experiments in the lab to identify proteins. With the advancement in computational biology and programming, one can use generative AI to predict the inhibitor; to determine whether the protein we have identified can be used as a drug target or for the development of a vaccine. That initial prediction, which would otherwise require many experiments in the lab, can be easily predicted by AI. Of course, after prediction, one has to validate its accuracy in the lab.”

He told Deccan Chronicle that this technology was available earlier in bits and pieces. Aganitha, he said, was an expert in this area. “Once they have predicted that a protein could be a drug target, the next step is to model the structure of the protein. In the lab, this can take years. The computational tools provided by AI can do it in a few days. Of course, the structure may not be 100 per cent accurate. But it can be significantly accurate, good enough to be used for prediction of inhibitors which can be later used for developing drugs. That's where AI is useful,” he said.

The research also plans to develop antibodies and nanobodies that can help in the management of neurological disorders like Alzheimer's and epilepsy.

Talking about the implications this technology will have on the neuro world, Dr Sudhir Kumar, senior consultant neurologist from Apollo Hospitals, said: “A partnership like this is not common. We need good people to research degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. There is no medicine to cure the disease. The small molecules that they are trying to develop will help slow down the progression of it.”

In epilepsy, Dr Kumar explained, the attempt was to defer and bring down the frequency of the epileptic attacks. “Right now, the anti-epileptic medicine we have only delays the epileptic shock but does not avoid it completely. The nanobodies they are trying to develop will help alter the mechanism of the epileptic attack by binding with neuro-receptors and help defer the epileptic attack. We do have antibodies in the market of this kind at present but they have major side effects and are not cost-effective,” he said.

Highlighting that it was extremely difficult to cure degenerative diseases, as one can only manage them and help the patients improve their quality of life, Dr Kumar said the technology would help reduce the frequency of anti-epileptic medicines patients are taking.

“However, it will take at least a decade to materialise anything meaningful in this direction. Any research of this kind takes place in three phases and each phase typically extends for two to three years. Take, for example, Parkinson’s Disease. It came to light in the 1870s. Even after 200 years, we have had no breakthrough in finding a cure. To think of this technology being helpful in some way in just about 10 years is huge,” he said.