How do you view the current scene for R&D in India?
Indian R&D is at a very exciting juncture today. There is a significant increase in both basic and applied research happening across academia and industry. Several Indian companies have ventured either directly or through investments into cutting edge technologies like mRNA therapeutics, bi-specific and tri-specific antibodies, cell therapies and peptide therapeutics to name a few.
Furthermore, there are several breakthrough technologies that are currently being explored, including artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing and space research in pharmaceuticals. Funding mechanisms which involve risk patient capital is growing slowly but steadily with more VCs (venture capitalists) and family offices investing in riskier projects.
What are the visible trends?
Pharma and biotech research are exploring cross disciplinary studies with significant use of technologies like AI. Research into cell-based therapies (CARs) not limited to just the haematological malignancies but extending to solid tumours and inflammatory/autoimmune diseases, mRNA vaccines for diseases of national interest and therapeutics for genetic diseases, and multi-specific antibodies for treatment of inflammatory and oncology indications is growing. The push from Indian pharma being just a generics player to being an innovative leader discovering and developing novel therapeutics with the vision of delivering patient centric solutions is growing.
What are the challenges you sight in this space?
Few of the major challenges in this space include limited access to capital, especially the risk capital which funds start-ups and academia through the “valley of death” from various sources such as government, industry, VCs and other organizations. While the government has funded several incubators in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, the need for research facilities with expertise to handle the instruments within these incubators and better awareness of government funded infrastructure facilities that are open to all researchers is lacking.
How are R&D start-ups supporting the Indian life-sciences sector?
There has been a boom in the number of biotech and life sciences start-ups that are working on problems which are relevant not only in India but globally using technologies like AI for basic and applied research. There have been partnerships between start-ups coming not only out of academic institutions such as IIT-Kanpur and IIT-Mumbai but also from smaller institutes and the Indian industry. There have also been investments from pharma companies into smaller, high-risk ventures.
What are India’s strengths in drug research and development?
India’s scientific strength has traditionally been on the small-molecule chemistry side of drug discovery. However, there has been a greater emphasis coming into the large molecules, peptides and cell-based therapies. India’s strength lies in its skilled manpower at the bench level. This has been groomed and sustained through the number of contract research organisations (CROs) that have been in operation over the last 20 years in India for instance Syngene, Anthem, Sai Life Science, Aragen and Eurofins Advinus to name a few.
Coming to funding, are the government grants adequate or how are venture capitalists and private equity chipping resources into this space?
The government has announced several schemes like Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech sector (PRIP) and Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) which have significant quantum allocated to research and supporting start-ups. However, this is still a fraction of what is needed. BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council), DBT (Department of Biotechnology), DST (Department of Science & Technology) and others have supported the ecosystem over the past decade but the “valley of death” remains a major funding gap. VCs and pharma companies should increase their investment in start-ups which require at-risk patient capital.
In your view how are young scientists attuned to continue research in lifesciences?
There is a definite gap between the academic training and the skills needed for commercially viable research. There are only few institutes with access to advanced technologies and the majority of the young scientists are not aware of the latest advances in their own fields of research. The government’s initiative to provide access to scientific journals is commendable but this should extend to private institutes as well. Unfortunately, our services mind-set has failed to groom mid and senior level leadership in drug development the same way that we see the talent in the preclinical drug discovery.
How different is R&D globally from that from India?
There are significant differences in the training between a Tier 1 University in the US or Europe and the training in top Indian Universities. However, this gap is reducing with the investments from the government in world class infrastructure in many of these institutes. Increasing access and building skilled manpower who can use these facilities is the need of the hour.
With a huge reverse brain drain evident in Indian life-sciences scape, how much is the expertise accelerating and guiding drug development?
There is an increase in the number of scientists of Indian origin, though not always Indian citizens, who are choosing to come and set up their research in India. However, these numbers remain modest. Greater incentives, similar to China’s Thousand Talents Program are needed. Mechanisms encouraging long-term engagement, rather than just temporary returns during downturns in the west, are required for sustained contributions.
How is technology like AI, machine learning (ML), etc supporting R&D in India and globally?
India has started exploiting its strength in technology for life sciences research. Several Indian start-ups, including my own start-up Peptris Technologies, are using AI for different life science applications including drug discovery, diagnostics and personalised medicine. While these applications have matured significantly in the West and China, India is still catching-up. But we have the ability and the manpower resources to close the gap and make significant breakthroughs.
How is Foundation of Neglected Disease Research (FNDR) recognised for its efforts in the Indian lifesciences landscape?
FNDR is a not-for-profit organization developing drugs for infectious diseases which have a high impact in India. The Foundation has received several national and international grants, collaborates extensively with academia, industry and academia, another not-for-profit organization, biotech and pharma industries. FNDR has also been the recipient of several awards and honours.
Peptris is your other start-up. Could you throw some light on its research efforts?
Peptris is an AI powered drug discovery company working towards developing new drugs or repurposing existing drugs for indications in rare diseases, inflammation and oncology. Peptris is the first AIML company from India to have licensed its molecule for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
With India’s recent efforts in space, how do you see space-based research enhancing drug innovation?
Pharmaceutical research in space is in its infancy and India is uniquely poised to make a significant contribution in this field. With our extensive plans for space flight and a future space station, India will need to invest in several allied areas which can use these technologies. I am extremely excited by the potential of how microgravity can affect pharmaceuticals, our understanding of diseases and their possible treatments.
What is the future of R&D in India?
I am enthusiastic about the future of innovation R&D in general and pharmaceuticals in particular. Launch of molecules discovered in India such as Enmetazobactam (Orchid), Nafithromycin (Wockhardt), Desidustat and Saroglitazar (Zydus), and NexCARIS, to name a few, will definitely spur interest and investment in this area.
In my role as Senior Technical Advisor to the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, we are promoting the vision of “100 drugs from India by 100 years of Independence”. India will not only continue be the generics pharmacy to the world but will also provide innovative therapies.This article was originally published on Saffron Media
