Metabolic syndrome is a highly complex disorder of normal physiology characterized by obesity, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. Type 2 diabetes is one of the major manifestations of this syndrome. Despite its recognition as a healthcare issue on an epidemic scale, diabetes still remains largely an unsolved medical problem, and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and disability. Prevention and cure for this disease is of major importance to world health. Currently, the market for a safe and efficacious anti diabetic drug is potentially huge, but the value of currently approved therapies does not reflect this potential, which is primarily due to limited efficacy and adverse side-effect profiles.
At the Piramal Healthcare Research Centre, the Diabetes Therapeutic Area Franchise comprises of well qualified, experienced and dedicated scientists striving to unearth a safe and efficacious cure for metabolic disorders. The Diabetes Franchise Group uses various conventional and modern innovative approaches, built on core competence and advancements in technology, to identify drug candidates that would translate into future drugs for the effective management of diabetes and allied diseases. The team has developed a variety of cellular and animal screening models that mirror the defects in uncontrolled type 2 diabetic patients. The scientists utilize the in-house synthetic chemical capability as well as the vast and diverse proprietary collection of natural product extracts for screening against novel targets for unexplored disease pathways involved in metabolic disorder.
The untiring efforts of the team have led to the discovery and development of P1736, a novel insulin sensitizer, which is exclusively developed in-house, and is presently undergoing Phase II clinical trials. To address the growing need for an anti obesity drug, the Diabetes Franchise group has successfully identified a novel DGAT1 enzyme inhibitor which is currently undergoing active development. Successful international collaborations with multinational companies are a testimony to our internal expertise and drive for contributing towards addressing unmet global medical needs.
Selected Publications:
- Doshi LS, Brahma MK, Umakanth B, Dixit AV, Nemmani KV, Discovery and development of selective PPARg modulators (SPPARgM) as safe and effective antidiabetic agents. Expert Opin Invest Drugs, 2010, 19(4): 489-512.