MAHE Ventures Into New Drug Discovery, Pharma Researches

While the pharma industry is booming globally, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) started researching new drugs and repurposing old ones for more uses.

“The recently installed bio-incubator on its flagship campus in Manipal in Udupi, in collaboration with the government of Karnataka will help researchers in the institute discover new molecules as drugs for existing diseases, or repurposing existing drugs for conditions where they are not used,” said MAHE vice-chancellor Dr  H Vinod Bhat, in an exclusive interview to The New Indian Express.

The inauguration of the incubator was put off due to the polls. However, the university has started researching ‘curing’ molecules.

Apart from the state government, the university will collaborate with a pharma company for the research.

First, they will generate a molecular structure on the computer using software that has been provided by the pharma company Schrödinger. Then, tests will take place in the government aided bio-incubator. The incubation will be done by start-ups.

While pharma students learn pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in the pharmacy college in Manipal, drug discovery is more of research, he said. “This will bring in the culture of start-ups in this sector. It could be for medical devices, drug discovery or diagnostics,” said Dr Bhat. The government has partially funded the project by providing the college with equipment.

MoUs signed with international universities

After attaining the ‘Institute of Eminence’ tag, MAHE has ventured into strategic partnerships with universities abroad. In its latest venture, the college has signed an MoU with Université de Lille in France, which is the largest medical school in Europe, said MAHE vice-chancellor Dr H Vinod Bhat.

Another MoU was signed with the University of New Brunswick in Canada and is restricted to engineering and business management, said Dr Bhat. One of its major MOUs after the IOE tag is the six-year partnership with the University of New South Wales. – The New Indian Express