Collaboration is donning a new role in scientific advancement. This holds true especially for geneticists who are working on personalised medicines. Fuelling this concept is the Human Genome Organisation (Hugo), which is working on human genome sequencing. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which has announced a global initiative called Open Source Drug Discovery (OSDD) is partnering with it. The endeavour is to develop affordable drugsfor controlling diseases like tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, among others.
OSDD is a CSIR-led initiative to aggregate the biological and genetic information available to scientists to hasten the discovery of drugs. With a commitment of Rs 150 crore by the Indian government, it is aimed at solving complex and neglected tropical diseases and bring in openness in research through a partnership model. This will provide a unique opportunity to scientists, doctors, technocrats, software professionals, students and others with diverse expertise to work for the cause of affordable drugs.
In the first phase of the OSDD programme, drug discovery for tuberculosis will be undertaken. The Indian Genome Variation Consortium, which coordinated a study involving over 150 scientists and researchers from six CSIR laboratories and Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, has provided the first comprehensive genetic map of India. This is likely to help identify populations that are genetically at risk from major diseases.
A major fillip to open source drug discovery is being provided by HUGO, an international organisation of genome scientists. In its recently concluded meeting held in Hyderabad, HUGO president Edison Liu explained that genomic technologies are being used extensively for public health across various governments. ?We are at an inflection point of discovery in human genetics. The confluence of knowledge of the human genome sequence, new genomic technologies and computational capabilities and a maturing knowledge base in systems biology are all making genome-based medicine a reality,?? he stressed.
Conceived in April 1998, the major function of HUGO is to assist and coordinate research on the human genome. It aims to foster collaboration between scientists to avoid unnecessary competition or duplication of effort. HUGO also aims to coordinate and facilitate the exchange of data and biomaterials relevant to human genome research and encourage the spread of related technologies.
The medicine of the future is likely to be genotype-specific, says Lalji Singh, director, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB). ?That is the era of personalised or population-targeted molecular medicine. With the increase in lifestyle disorders, the pharma industry is banking on the ?readable? genes for targeted drug delivery,? he says.
According to him, this study would help in optimum dosage with customised medication and minimal side effects.
In fact, a classic example is from Agilent Technologies which is developing two new sample preparation products, which will enable next-generation users to sequence just what they want and to discard the rest, thereby significantly increasing the cost efficiency of these platforms.
?Know your genome will soon become a norm for predictive medicine,? says Samir K Brahmachari, director-general, CSIR. ?In fact, Indian science in genomics has marked an entry on the global map as 55 populations across the country have been mapped for various gene risk alleles,? he says adding that with the advent of genome sequencing, identifying the proteins that lead to ailments has become easier.
The current excitement of genome sequencing promises a deluge of data with growing disparity between data and information, insists Brahmachari. The challenge for biology in the 21st century is the need to deal with its incredible complexity. According to researchers, one powerful way to handling biology is to view it as an informational science. This view leads to the conclusion that biological information is captured, mined, integrated and finally executed. Systems approaches to biology are focused on delineating and deciphering dynamic biological networks and their interactions with simple and complex molecular machines, researchers insist.
It appears that systems medicine, together with rapid changes in genome sequencing as well as the development of powerful new computational and mathematical tools will transform medicine from its currently reactive state to a mode that is predictive, personalised, preventive and participatory.