Animal models for preclinical drug research on ulcerative colitis: A review

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) represents a chronic, relapsing, remitting, and inflammatory condition categorized into two forms – ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease. According to epidemiological data, the trend of IBD has been increasing in the world, including in India. The current management of UC does not aim at curing the patient from the illness but mainly at attenuating the symptoms and improving the daily life of the patient. Drugs such as sulfasalazine and corticosteroids are used to reduce inflammation, but they are associated with multiple side effects and the efficacy is also limited. Hence, there is an unmet need in exploring new drugs to manage UC in a more efficient and less harmful way. There are various animal models which have been used worldwide by researchers to assess new lead compounds before they can be tested in humans. Various types of models comprise of chemical models, bacterial models, immunity transfer models, and genetic models. In this review article, we try to give an overview of these animal models which can be used in drug research

Marine pharmacology: Potential, challenges, and future in India

More than 50% of the marketed drugs today are derived from natural sources. There are various cancers and diseases which cannot be managed well with the current available drugs. It is, therefore, important to identify new sources of drugs for the future. The biological diversity offered by the oceans shows promise in expressing some lead compounds for diseases which show a dearth of drug options for management. A handful of marine products have been approved by the United States – Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) because of the involvement of academia and the pharmaceutical industry. However, there are many challenges involved which deter a better and faster process for drug development from marine sources. The current scenario in India is in a nascent phase, but steps are being taken in the right direction to develop a potential source of new drugs. In this review article, we try to give an overview over the history and impending potential of marine pharmacology, with an overlook on the current approved marine-sourced drugs by the US-FDA. We also take a brief look over the challenges involved in the field of marine pharmacology, its current progress in India and possible future scope

Data sharing: A viable resource for future

Clinical trials and research studies are being conducted worldwide at a rampant pace leading to generation of large amount of data. However, to reap the benefits of the data generated it is important that this data is shared with the general public without which it can be deemed useless. Despite its importance being known to us, data sharing does not come without its share of problems and it is not as easy to execute as it sounds on-paper. Over the past few years, multiple coveted organizations around the world involved in research activities have come up with their respective guidelines and initiatives to make sure the sharing of research data is smooth and ethical. Developing countries like India have made a few strides in the right direction with some initiatives in-place, but there still seems a long way to go before unanimous data sharing can be a reality. The stakeholders may have to face certain possible repercussions due to data sharing but there is no doubt that if done in the right way, it can lead to universal development