Breakthrough for Indian scientists
Indian scientists have achieved a breakthrough in the search for new anti-malarial compounds of natural origin to combat different strains of the parasites responsible for the dreaded disease.
An interdisciplinary research team comprising scientists drawn from four institutes across the country has zeroed in on two marine organisms that generate chemical compounds with potent anti-malarial activity.
Extracts of more than 200 organisms including different species of marine fungi, seaweeds, mangroves, sponges, cnidarians, molluscs, echinoderms and ascidians were screened during the first two phases of the project which began in 2004. About 25 organisms showed the presence of anti-malarials.
The two most promising candidates are reported to be effective against drug sensitive and resistant strains of the malarial parasites. One of the organisms was found to possess as many as 10 anti-malarial compounds. Some of the promising leads are very effective even at very low concentrations. Efforts are on to patent the findings.
Collaboration
Named ‘Discovering Anti-malarials from Marine Organisms,' the collaborative project involves the Centre for Marine Biodiversity under the University of Kerala, the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi; Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad; and the Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT), Palampur. The Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, is funding the project.
The marine organisms are collected from the seabed, their extracts prepared and subjected to metabolite fingerprinting at the Centre for Marine Biodiversity to detect their biological and chemical features. The extracts are then sent to the ICGEB where they are screened for anti-malarial activity using state-of-the-art high-throughput (HTP) assays for faster identification of active compounds.
While the structural elucidation (determination of the chemical structure) work is done at the IICT, the compounds will be synthesised at the IHBT, to produce biologically active metabolites in the quantities required for further studies and clinical trials.
The University of Kerala has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the ICGEB for collaboration and sharing of intellectual property rights.
The organisms are selected through an elaborate process of underwater observation for marine chemical ecological interactions, followed by field and laboratory experimentation. The samples have been collected mostly from the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay where coral reefs abound.
Global effort
“Drug resistance has emerged as one of the greatest challenges facing malaria control today. Malarial parasites have developed strategies to evade most of the available treatments. This has triggered a global effort to identify novel, better and affordable anti-malarial compounds,” explains K. Padmakumar, Director, Centre for Marine Biodiversity, and one of the principal investigators of the project, who has carried out more than 200 scuba dives to collect samples from the seabed.
The potential anti-malarial compounds are often generated by sedentary marine organisms as a defensive mechanism to deter potential predators or pathogens, reduce the impact of environmental stress, prevent overgrowth or for protection from ultraviolet radiation. “What we are essentially doing is to harness the defensive mechanism of the marine organisms to develop biologically active metabolites that can be used to fight the malarial parasite,” Dr. Padmakumar says.
Third phase
During the third phase of the project, scientists will collect more samples of the two most promising organisms to identify the chemical components that impart the anti-malarial property. This will be followed by laboratory synthesis to obviate the need to harvest from Nature.
Keywords: anti-malarial compounds, scientific breakthrough
excellent article about anti malarial compound which should be an eye
opener. sametime it should be thoroughly tested and make a clear result
without any side effiects on humans. as per mr shan mentioned let media
wait since indian media always ''JUMPS" in something making a big bash
and later not even acknolwedging. let think prudently
The caption, 'Breakthrough for Indian Scientists' led me to believe that a new drug to mitigate the sufferings of malaria patients has been approved. Alas, not so! The article begs to question the intentions of the coverage. First, the report of 10 compounds gives the notion that those 10 are different, which I suspect. Given that structure-elucidation is being done, the claim of 10 compounds lends credence to my suspicion. Second, the use of HTS is baffling considering there were only 25 organisms on the whole, 2 promising and one producing 10 compounds. That these compounds will be 'synthesized', is an indication that quantity is scanty. Those in Natural Product Chemistry can allude to the challenges to even using the core as a scaffold. I wish the team the best and like Mr. Raman and other intrigued scientists, I will also be watching, first the patent, then the publication, later the pre-clinical and beyond. Let the media wait, but first let SAR, MOA,and GLP do the talking.
It is exciting to know the developments in finding the promising source of drugs to control malaria. Dr Padmakumar and his colleagues should approach the Gates Foundation for funding support. This will provide not only assured funding but also an international recognition.
There are so many natural products like Licochalcones which are established as antimalarial compounds, but the real issue is all about ongoing cat and rat race between natural antimalarial compounds and the emerging resistance in deadly malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. to add further teeth in the war crusade against malaria we have to expedite natural as well as synthetic compounds to cater the need for deploying antimalarial weapons in malaria endemic regions.
Have the findings been published? In which journal?
The scientists from India are getting their fame by disclosure through social media. They do not publish their data through peer reviewed science journal and it is too bad! Death from malarial parasites has been steadily climbing and there is no let up there. It is very acute in the African continent. So, it is highly desirable to come out with a drug that is cheap and affordable. When it comes to structure based discovery from India, I am not holding any bet. The author Dr. Padmakumar, just scratched the surface and goes on at length to explain what is at stake and in doing so also use the right scientific jargon along the line established in the West. But, my worry is that he got his '15 seconds' fame and that pretty much there is to it. It will be another to publish in the scientific journal and be judged on that! Unfortunately, things in India start with an exuberance only to dither later. As a scientist myself, I am keeping watch on this one!
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